Beasts Of Gaia: A Dissertation
by MasterShaper
Summary: For Professor Hojo to have obtained his doctorate, a thesis had to be submitted. So he made a dissertation involving his passion for Applied Zoology. AU. IN PROGRESS.
1. Foreword

**_Foreword_**

Before we go further into the nature of Gaia's many fascinating combat-worthy flora and fauna, I feel that some words of thanks are in order. You see, the writing of this manuscript would have been totally impossible if not for the aid of several people and parties, and as such, they have earned a sot of gratitude in this foreword, at the very least.

Firstly, I would like to thank the ShinRa Electric Company for backing me in cash and also in kind. If they had not agreed to fully sponsor the production of this manuscript, as well as agreeing to loan me the numerous Materia needed to scrutinize the organisms being studied, it is likely that this thesis manuscript would not have been started at all.

Also, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Professor Gast. He has been rather understanding of my more eccentric tendencies, and as such, has even allowed the publication of this thesis manuscript despite the occasional outburst or several that have found their way between its pages.

Lastly, I would like to thank my partner in the production of this thesis, Lucrecia Crescent. She has truly been a wonderful assistant in my combing the four corners of Gaia for the profiles of the various species noted later on in this document.

Now that the tedious and rather unnecessary task of thanking my helpers has been done with, I would like to note that Applied Zoology is a highly precise branch of Biology. As such, not every moron out there can simply pick up a dissection kit or Materia orbs and claim to be a qualified Applied Zoologist. Indeed, Applied Zoology requires a great deal of patience, discipline, and also prerequisite scientific skills. After all, tracking down a specimen in the wild can be extremely difficult, even under ideal circumstances.

I personally have a fondness for Applied Zoology, and of course this thesis was the prime opportunity for me to indulge my hobby while working on my doctorate at the same time. Despite that, I found it rather hard to gather all the knowledge needed. So it need not be said that most of you normal, ignorant people out there would be even remotely capable of starting, let alone completing, such a grand piece of work.

As for how the information in this thesis was obtained, I have already mentioned that I made use of some Materia, to be specific, Sense Materia. The Sensory spells cast using those Materia were invaluable in assessing the relative strength of a specimen in combat, and also for determining the weaknesses of a particular species towards the various elements. Hence, it should also be noted that I even used an entire complement of elemental Materia, in trying to prove the immunity and vulnerability of an organism against certain spells. To a lesser extent, Manipulate Materia were used to experiment with the battle-worthiness of the more commonplace specimens, and Chocobo Lure Materia orbs coupled with pheromones were used in some cases to attract a specimen.

All physiological and anatomical observations were done using a standard-grade dissection kit, after the specimen in question had been killed using either chemicals or a Death spell.

So, with that, I bid you good day, and also hope that you possess sufficient intelligence to comprehend what I have written down in this manuscript for my doctoral thesis in Applied Zoology.

_James Hojo_


	2. Species nAB

**Nomenclature Key** - _All names of species and abilities used in this manuscript are those that are most commonly used in non-scientific circles, since some of the organisms and abilities detailed within this thesis have not been adequately understood by scientists to be given a finalized scientific name. However, I have provided the scientific names where relevant, in the fervent hope that someone will appreciate the beauty of Carolus Linnaeus' binomial naming system (noted in italicized font in brackets after the layman's name)._

* * *

**Numerical Names  
**

2-Faced (_Schizofacadus Polaris_)

Resembling two faces that look away from each other in mid-air, these Aerial creatures are native to the deserts surrounding Corel's penal facilities, and have been hailed by the guards there as a sort of natural escape alert system. You see, they tend to try and attack people crossing the desert, and since they usually end up making a great deal of noise when they do so, the prison staff will be easily alerted to the fact that a prisoner has attempted to escape. Escaped prisoners also fear these undeniably weak monsters, because they can actually fly rather fast, and are also capable of killing a human rather easily in their natural environment. Due to this, they are also known as 'Face Fucks' by some of the more seasoned prisoners in said facility.

Now, a 2-Faced is flight-capable due to a natural ability to manipulate gravity to a certain extent. In fact, the manner in which their two contrasting faces continuously orbit each other is also derived from this basic mastery over gravity magic. Classical scientific theory once postulated that the two faces were orientated in opposing directions due to simple magnetism, but this has since been proven wrong. How was it proven wrong, you might ask? Well, it was simply observed that as these creatures flew over the sandy ground of the desert, sand granules tended to start hovering several inches off the ground beneath them, only to fall back to the ground seconds after they had passed over that particular patch of ground. Since sand possesses no magnetic properties whatsoever, it was then deduced that they flew and orientated themselves by utilizing gravity rather than electricity.

With regards to battle abilities, 2-Faced are considerably easy to deal with. Since only one face can confront you at a time, try to attack the inactive face that is not looking at you, since its defenses will be significantly lower than the forward face. However, they are not utter pushovers, since they do have immunity to all forms of Earth-based magic, and also may not be Manipulated, Stopped, or Paralyzed. Not to forget, 2-Faced have no elemental weaknesses whatsoever, so pure strength is needed to overwhelm them in a fight.

Offensively, they are hopeless basket cases. Truly, the frowning face can only cast Cure3, and the smiling face can only cast a Self-Destruct spell. Hence, they often try to follow someone in the desert for as long as possible, casting Cure3 on themselves to try and linger around until the unfortunate idiot dies and can be eaten by the two faces. Yes, one face is eternally fixed in a demonic grimace, whereas the other is always smiling cheerfully... Just remember that the Cure3 and Self-Destruct spells are cast by the face which looks more unlikely to do so.

As you can see, the nature of the 2-Faced is such that the two faces are always arrayed for optimal survival efficiency. By always looking in opposite directions, they are rather hard to sneak up behind, and since their magical attacks are bound to different faces, few people can correctly anticipate their moves in a fight. Also, they can manipulate gravity to deflect shots and minor blows, or to trip someone up and throw up sand barriers in front of themselves.

Only moderately-experienced fighters may fight a 2-Faced, since its Self-Destruct does pack enough firepower to kill anyone within a twenty-foot radius.

xxx

8 Eye (_Opthalmus Octo_)

These bizarre organisms resemble nothing more than a large mass of putrid-smelling red slime that has several eyes peeking out of it. Though they often have more than eight eyes, these creatures have been named as such since most people who are stupid enough to try and count their eyes usually end up dying by the time they get to eight. Endemic to the shadowy passages of the Temple of the Ancients, 8 Eyes are ambush hunters that have been the death of many unwary explorers.

Now, anthropological studies done by the venerable Professor Mammon Hoole have shown that the 8 Eye is mentioned rather frequently in texts produced by the Ancients, and their role in the Temple was apparently as a cadre of guardians. You see, they were supposedly discovered in a network of caves that runs deep into the ground beneath the Temple's foundations, and their inability to ever fall asleep was noted by the Ancients to be a desirable trait for Temple guardians to have. As such, when the Temple was raised over the cavern mouths where the 8 Eyes nested, the Ancients somehow trained them to prowl about the Temple's quieter portions in an effort to deal with intruders efficiently and cleanly.

Despite their seemingly honorable role as caretakers of a holy place, these stinking slime heaps actually utilize a set of rather sinister abilities in battle. Usually, they will cast Darkness spells at their intended prey, before closing in and Draining the blinded creature to death. Each eye of an 8 Eye can act as a source of Darkness spells, and as such, it is typically rather difficult to disable its blinding capacities. Therefore, a common adage for dealing with an 8 Eye is similar to that which was spoken about in the legend of Medusa; never look into its eyes. Given that one of these voracious invertebrates will try to smother you and Drain you into oblivion if you turn your back on it, I would recommend carrying a mirror with you whenever you venture into the Temple of the Ancients.

However, they do possess one key weakness that may be exploited in battle to gain the upper hand. Namely, they are extremely vulnerable to Poison spells, since their slimy physique is composed of a rather delicate mixture of chemicals that will normally disintegrate if contaminated with a Poison spell. In my experiments, a Bio2 spell was usually sufficient to severely handicap an 8 Eye, and a Bio3 spell was enough to obliterate the smelly thing in one swift stroke. But they cannot be affected by Mystify, Confuse, Manipulate, or Silence spells, since they do not even possess a centralized brain to speak of. In addition to that, 8 Eyes also aren't harmed by any form of Gravity-based magic, since attempts to flatten them are just as futile as attempts to crush liquid water.

I would only advise experienced fighters to challenge 8 Eyes, since they are quite formidable in combat.

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**A**

Acrophies (_Aquaherpein Commensalis_)

An Acrophies is a member of an entire genus of unusual marine reptiles that can be found rather commonly at the Corel Valley Cave. What makes them unusual is the simple fact that they are basically snakes, but which have several appendages that give them a resemblance to some seafood stew that has gone horribly wrong. You see, they actually have an armored carapace much like that of a crab, along with a powerful pincer that is several feet in length. Normally, different Acrophies will have different, additional aquatic life forms growing on their shells, such as the occasional sea anemone or even an entire stag-horn coral.

So some of you more ignorant readers out there might be wondering - just what makes this strange creature a _snake_, of all things? Well, it was found that the snake's head protruding out of the armored carapace actually extended much further into the animal's anatomy than it would have if an Acrophies were anything but a snake. In fact, dissections performed by the renowned zoologist Alfred Kinsey proved that the carapace itself is composed of several hypertrophied scales that overlap and fuse over time. The crustacean-like pincer still remains a mystery to us, however, though we do know now that its skeletal muscles are an extension of the Acrophies' abdominal muscles.

So, moving on to the battle capabilities of an Acrophies, it should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that they would use their pincer to try and Claw potential prey to death. Also, they do possess a limited ability to summon Huge Tidal Waves out of nearby bodies of water, which it will do often to try and heal itself whenever it gets wounded in a fight. However, their reflexes are rather sluggish, and as such, they have evolved a sort of mechanism by which they can slow down an opponent. This attack is colloquially referred to as Isogin Smog, and if it wasn't clear from the name, the vapors released by an Acrophies using this move_ does_ contain a blinding toxin known as isogin.

From the above paragraph, it should now be clear that Acrophies are aquaphiles that absorb Water-based magic and may use the energy to repair bodily damage to themselves. But they evolved a sort of soft spot on their posterior carapace segments to allow for maximal healing, which also gives anyone fighting them a good opportunity to grievously wound the Acrophies. Other than that, it is only noteworthy that they somehow cannot take any damage from Gravity-based magic, and also may not be affected using Manipulate or Confusion spells.

As an extra bit of information, isogin was first synthesized by the infamous engineer cum chemist Thomas Midgley, which also discovered the first chlorofluorocarbons with industrial uses. He claimed to have been trying to produce a type of anti-reflective coating for application to glass panes, but instead wound up with a colorless liquid that turned black whenever it came into contact with air. Upon further experimentation, he realized that it could actually stick rather effectively to anything moist, and this included eyes. Needless to say, isogin was shelved and never again considered for purposes any other than those involving crime.

I personally find Acrophies to very interesting, because there is so much to be learned yet about their physiology. Oh, and only experienced fighters should try to fight them (I made it sound easy, but fighting them is no picnic, in case your brain didn't compute that for you).

xxx

Adamantaimai (_Chelydra Adamantoise_)

For several centuries already, Adamantaimai have been popular as pets among Wutaian fishermen. Usually found sunbathing on rocks by the coastline, these gentle turtles prefer to avoid confrontation and will flee at the first sight of a human approaching them. However, they do tend to sleep rather deeply, and as such, often wake up too late, and only when their human pursuers have actually made it to within five feet of them. The only reason why the Wutaian fisher-folk still bother with sneaking up on them and capturing one is simply because they are actually decent swimmers that can be very loyal to anyone which they get emotionally imprinted upon. Needless to say, Adamantaimai have superior mental capacity compared to other species of turtle and tortoise, and have even been proven to be capable of simple arithmetic.

Adamantaimai meat is also popular as an ingredient in a traditional Wutaian soup that is served at weddings. Since Adamantaimai are quite large in size and their meat does not spoil easily, one small-sized specimen is normally sufficient for about thirteen servings of the soup, with each serving being able to fill the stomachs of eight typical Wutaians. They believe the soup to be a bringer of longevity and peace, since after all, Adamantaimai do live for up to eighty-eight years in relative peacefulness. In addition to the reptile's age and sedentary lifestyle, eighty-eight also happens to be an auspicious number in Wutaian culture. Personally, I find the soup to be just tolerable, with nothing much to shout about.

In a fight, Adamantaimai mainly use defensive spells rather than offensive abilities (of which they only have two, anyway). Typically, an Adamantaimai will cast Barrier or MBarrier to try and fend off any physical or magical attacks directed at it, and through natural selection, only the Adamantaimai which are extremely good at casting these enchantments have survived till this day and age. Since their magical defensive spells are of such quality, anything sent their way is usually sent right back at the attacker, which gives the harassed Adamantaimai a moment to try and escape.

If this were a story about the tortoise and the hare, the hare would be left miles behind the tortoise, since these particular turtles can run considerably fast.

Offensively, they have been proven to be capable of casting only two spells, as mentioned before. Namely, the Light Shell attack and Death Force spell, which are rather weak. Light Shell is a physical attack that involves the Adamantaimai rushing at an opponent and slamming its entire mass into the target, whereas Death Force is a spell that is used by the Adamantaimai to protect itself with a NulDeath charm. As such, instant-kill spells and abilities will not work on them. The reason why Death Force is regarded as an offensive spell is simply because it prevents you from rapidly finishing off the Adamantaimai before it really gets desperate and violent.

Obviously, a desperate Adamantaimai is not a nice being to be near to.

Since we have now finished discussing this rather mundane species, I shall now attempt to educate you about the legend of Urashima Taro. This particular piece of Wutaian folk legend is unique in several aspects, but we shall only take note that is was the earliest known story to involve time travel, as well as an Adamantaimai. The story goes that a man named Urashima Taro once saved an Adamantaimai from being killed by some violent fishermen. He apparently was then granted a chance to visit the undersea palace of the Dragon God, or some good shit like that. Taro might never have existed, but in Applied Zoology, we keep the story in mind simply because it illustrates the benefits of not simply killing animals.

Don't bother challenging an Adamantaimai if you have even an ounce of self-respect in your rotten little heart.

xxx

Allemagne (_Uniopteris Veteran_)

One-eyed Aerial creatures endemic to the Northern Crater, Allemagne (also called Veterans by some) are very formidable in combat. Resembling a spherical mass of yellow flesh with a disproportionately large eye smack in the center of its body core, right over a slit-like mouth lined with three rows of razor-sharp teeth. They have two clawed legs that they use to snatch prey off the ground, and a muscular tail that is strong enough to shatter bones with. Two membranous wings provide them with the ability to fly, and what is amazing is that these appendages are stretched so thin, you could almost see right through the purple skins.

I have personally only encountered this species once in my travels, and even then I didn't get to complete my research into their combative abilities. The stupid things tend to swarm, and fending all of them off was a bloody task, at the very least. However, Lucrecia managed to use a Gravity spell to reverse Gaia's natural gravitic pull, and she sent them flying upwards and out of our way. While this was doubtlessly an efficient way to repel them, it also prevented any further study of the specimens - irritating woman!

Anyways, the renowned taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus did study the Allemagne, and as such, I wound up referring to his notes when my specimens were all... blown away, literally. So, according to Linnaeus, Allemagne are all capable of casting several significantly potent offensive magical spells. Mainly, they use the spells called Big Breath, Flare, and Death to try and take down potential prey. However, it should be noted here that the Flare and Death spells cast by an Allemagne were observed by Linnaeus to be target-independent. That is to say, the spells could even travel in non-linear trajectories before striking a victim with maximum potency. Big Breath is merely a curious move whereby the Allemagne literally spits a rock or several at you, by forcefully exhaling and expelling the projectiles out of its mouth at a terrific velocity.

They also use a spell called Tear Drop and melee clawing attacks to a lesser extent, but Linnaeus noted that these attacks, which inflict Sadness and bloody gashes respectively, were more accurate than their more common counterparts, and in actual fact were more damaging than the three aforementioned spells.

Despite their formidable battle skills, Wind spells of sufficient strength will disable an Allemagne very well, since their fragile wings will get shredded by a decent twister or two. But other than that, they have not been observed to have any other weaknesses. As any idiot could tell you, an Allemagne would obviously have total immunity to Earth-based spells since it is flight-capable. Also, don't bother trying to use spells such as Bad Breath and other variants of status change attacks; they'll merely waste your time and merely make the Allemagne mad. Blinding spells do not work on their single eye also, since they have evolved a membrane over their ocular lens that repels Darkness spells (as observed by Linnaeus).

Only highly-experience fighters may engage in combat with an Allemagne. I may not have had the most battle experience, but I have intelligence on my side, which is a whole new can of worms entirely.

xxx

Ancient Dragon (_Naga Cetradingin_)

Yet another of the strong creatures found within the vicinity of the Temple of the Ancients, these dragons are believed to have been the mounts of respected Cetra in their day. Ancient Dragons have wingspans measuring up to eighteen feet, and are colored with a rather attractive greenish-yellow tone. Often enough, people visiting the Temple Of The Ancients have seen small groups of these rather placid creatures sitting quietly atop the highest Temple structures, doing nothing but watching the whereabouts of anyone who enters the Temple grounds. Paintings on the walls of the Temple have shown images of people riding the dragons, and as such, is has been theorized that only the most revered Ancient leaders would have been given the privilege of riding an Ancient Dragon.

One property of Ancient Dragons that is rather widely-known is that they will attack anyone that enters the Temple and tries to damage the structures within the compound. In fact, the only reason why the Temple of the Ancients is still standing is because these lovely creatures have been diligently taking down most anyone that has trespassed into the Temple's compound with destructive intentions. Once, a group of overzealous developers tried to bulldoze the Temple's walls down, only to be stopped in their tracks by several furious dragons that rushed them and destroyed their equipment. Well, nothing much was left of the developers, either; a forensics team had to pick up their limbs from wherever they had been flung by the angered reptiles.

Due to their sheer ferocity, Ancient Dragons only have two effective attacks which they will use to try and disable intruders. Normally, they will use their horns to try and gore a victim, or they will charge themselves up with Ice-based magic and then fly forward to maul you. Given that the latter leaves a trail of glittering ice crystals in the wake of the dragon's flight path, it is known commonly as the Southern Cross. Both of these moves are considerably deadly, and when Lucrecia and I tested ourselves against these beasts in a fight, we were kept on our toes all the while by the utter skill of the dragons.

However, they are very vulnerable to Wind and Gravity spells, since either will be sufficient to ground them by breaking their wings or slamming their entire mass down to the ground. Thus, Lucrecia helped me by casting Twister spells around the periphery of the area where I was battling a specimen which we had lured out of hiding. Other spells don't seem to work against them that effectively, and ancient Wutaian texts also claim that the Leviathan summon is useless against them. From a logical point of view, this makes sense, since Leviathan himself was the father of the first dragons to ever tread on Gaian soil, and even in his faintest, most residual form as a summon, he would not harm his own offspring.

As for how Lucrecia and I managed to lure that one Ancient Dragon out of hiding... Well, we did something that I am not too proud of, you see. Frankly said, we vandalized the Temple of the Ancients. Yes, we actually defaced the greatest monument to Cetran civilization using spray paint. I dare say that if the two of us ever returned to the Temple of the Ancients, we would probably be swarmed to death by Ancient Dragons before we could take two steps past the gate. And to think we did all that using nothing more than two cans of red spray paint; the beautiful ring structure of benzene and a huge, stupid-looking smiley face will probably be visible for a while on the Temple's front walls...

Only experienced fighters may challenge an Ancient Dragon and hope to survive - and of course, having a partner in doing so is strongly advised.

xxx

Aps (_Magus Aquabarbarus_)

Aps are troll-like creatures that tend to live in swamps, and which prefer being in water most of the time. Standing about eight feet tall on average, Aps are not exactly tough, but rather, have a limited mastery over Water-based magic that has some synergy with their natural environment. Nowadays, they have nearly been driven to extinction by destruction of their habitats due to land reclamation projects that pave over their native swamps for development. It is therefore quite rare for anyone to encounter an Aps in the wild, except maybe in the darkest and most isolated swamps (if you didn't already understand my previous sentence).

Lucrecia and I actually went into a dense swamp to try and track down an Aps, and we were successful in this particular task. It was not the best specimen of its species, but it was satisfactory for our purposes. Slightly over seven feet in height and looking rather ill, it didn't put up much resistance as we subdued it and trussed it up to be brought back to Midgar for further scrutiny. It had taken us hours to actually find the Aps, and trying to haul the most unhelpful thing out of the swamp was another tedious task. However, we persevered, and soon enough, we were happily driving back in our rented lorry, with the bound and gagged Aps sitting in the back.

These aquatic trolls are rather weak against fire, mainly because of their atrocious personal hygiene. You see, plenty of organic waste tends to stick to their slimy skin, and the decaying stuff, when dried out, usually burns quite easily. So Fire-based spells will be sufficient to fend off an Aps, at least for a while. If no water is nearby, or if the burns inflicted upon it are severe enough, the disgusting creature will actually expire rather hastily. So you needn't worry much about fighting against an Aps; they are among the easiest things to kill on Gaia.

I mentioned earlier that Aps have a limited ability to manipulate water, and they _will_ use this skill in a fight. Mainly, they will try to generate a miniature tsunami that could probably drown you if it had been done in their home swamps. This is because in the relatively shallow waters of the tank which we conducted our experiments in, the Aps' Tsunami move was relatively mild. Other than that, and Aps will attempt to Lick its attackers, which can cause various problems depending on what type of bacteria they have living in their filthy maws. So, I have deduced that this rare species could only be considered as dangerous if confronted directly in their natural environment.

About the Aps we captured? We sold it to an egoistic bastard down in the Sector 6 slums called Don Corneo (or something like that) for a tidy profit, and from what I've heard, he actually keeps the blasted thing in the sewers running beneath his 'mansion'. Apparently, there is a trapdoor which leads down to where the Aps has been chained up, and he supposedly enjoys the sight of people falling down towards their deaths. Quite frankly, this Don Cornhole person must be quite a lifeless turd if his only pleasure is watching people get mauled by an Aps, of all things.

Rookie fighters may easily defeat an Aps in battle if they move fast.

xxx

Ark Dragon (_Naga Pyromythril_)

Lesser, purple-and-yellow cousins to the Ancient Dragons which guard the Temple of the Ancients, Ark Dragons are medium-sized creatures native to the Mythril Mines. Their bones are reinforced by naturally-occurring mythril fibers, and even their scales contain traces of the rare mineral. As such, they are often poached for their hides and skeletons, which are without a doubt, one of the best sources of pure mythril to be found anywhere on Gaia. Due to excessive hunting, this interesting species was very nearly driven to extinction about twenty years ago, until the ShinRa Electric Company bought over the Mythril Mines and began protecting the dragons. Their populations have been steadily increasing, and of the clutches of eggs laid, I'd say that about three-quarters of them have hatched successfully.

I might have disagreed with the president on certain matters, but this issue was one of those rare times when I actually had to tip my hat to the fat man himself. He might have been a gutless piece of slime that wouldn't have the gonads to try and kill a rat for fear of bloodying his hands, but... Suffice to say, his generosity in protecting the Ark Dragons was a rather big surprise to those of us who knew him personally.

Well, the idea of owning an entire mine full of mythril deposits might have been a contributing factor to the sales agreement; I'm not giving the bastard the benefit of the doubt that easily.

I have only been into the Mythril Mines five times to conduct my research into these unique dragons, and for some reason, they have always let me wander right into their nesting areas. Maybe it was because I was never armed, and was always alone. I will never know, however, since the last time I went, I actually killed one of them to get the information contained in this entry. This one act might have made me permanently off-limits to their nesting grounds, but the Hell with it; I already had all the information I wanted on their species when I put that one elderly specimen down with a Twister spell to the neck.

Much like their Ancient relatives, Ark Dragons will use their claws in combat to try and mangle their opponent into ribbons. They are rather proficient at this, and as a matter of fact, their claws are more well-developed than those of an Ancient Dragon. With regards to non-melee combat, these dragons are fully capable of using Flame Thrower spells that they will cast at whichever opponent appears to be the biggest threat. Here, it should be noted that they do not exhale fire directly onto their targets as one would expect, but rather, they attack in a similar fashion to the Southern Cross attack of the Ancient Dragons. That is to say, they will charge up their body itself with fire energy, and then literally hurl fireballs at you. Though Reflect spells work against this particular spell, it is not advisable, in case you buffoons have not guessed from the scientific name of this elegant species.

You see, their mythril-reinforced bodies are totally fire-proof, and some of the rare mineral's magic-nullifying properties have developed in the dragons. This is mainly evident through their scientific name, _Pyromythril_, which attests to the fact that the entire species is resistant to Fire-based spells, including their own Flame Throwers. In fact, they can absorb the energy from Fire-based spells that are sent their way, and use the assimilated energy to rejuvenate their possibly damaged physiques. However, since most Gaian humans are ignorant dunces that cannot comprehend the meaning of scientific names, I shall be patient and not start one of my rants here...

Moving on, other than absorbing Fire elemental spells, they are weak against Wind spells of sufficient intensity. As with all other Aerial creatures, their wings might be injured badly by ferocious gales, and they cannot be harmed at all by Earth-based magic. This is an axiom of Gaian zoology, and as such, I shall not be mentioning it again in this manuscript. Other than noting the Aerial nature of the species in concern, I will not be elaborating any further on this simple piece of knowledge.

Moderately experienced fighters may challenge Ark Dragons in a fight, but be warned that ShinRa has assigned SOLDIER patrol parties to the Mines for security purposes.

xxx

Armored Golem (_Golem Perisai_)

These hulking behemoths are reclusive residents of the Northern Crater, and happen to be one of the main reasons why people usually avoid going to the prehistoric site. More machine-like than organic, Armored Golems behave almost like you would expect robots to, and it was discovered by Dr. Buter - the legendary biologist - that the broadcasting of high frequency sound waves within close proximity of an Armored Golem will cause the beast some distress. As such, transistor radios were often (rather foolishly) brought down to the Northern Crater by inexperienced - not to mention stupid - researchers who wanted to see an Armored Golem with their own eyes. This was a very imbecilic thing to do for two reasons; firstly, radio broadcasts cannot penetrate the dense flux vortex over the Crater, and secondly because the next portion of Dr. Buter's report on Armored Golems clearly states that the golems actually became _angrier_ after hearing the ultrasonic sounds.

Obviously, none of those insufferably moronic amateurs survived. And I have amazed myself in writing the above paragraph - I actually managed to call those idiots 'stupid' using no less than three synonyms.

Now, regarding my confrontation with an Armored Golem, I must say that it was a terribly exciting experience. Lucrecia and I managed to find ourselves a decently-matured specimen, which immediately attacked us with its Golem Laser. Such wonders, I must say! The laser beam missed us by mere inches and blew up a rock outcropping, which collapsed and nearly flattened Lucrecia. I would have been thrilled at the prospect, save for the fact that she was the only competent assistant I have ever had, and because the sex thrown in to sweeten the deal was very good. Anyways, we defeated the Golem with relative ease, and managed to dissect the tough-skinned thing on the spot. I had never seen a hacksaw blade being snapped by the material it was cutting through, so the Golem's resilient hide was indeed an impressive substance to try and open up.

In battle, Armored Golems will assume one of two stances, depending on their intention. The first stance is with their arms held up in a boxing position, or held by the sides. This stance is used by the Golem as it attacks, and of the two stances, it is the easier one to penetrate with an attack. For advancing and defensive purposes, the golem will fold its arms across its chest, and then start walking slowly towards its target. Since its arms are the most heavily armored parts of its anatomy, most physical attacks will be quite futile when used against it at that point of time. Even magical attacks are not sufficient to pierce the golem's natural armor, and none of the spells discovered to date have been noted to be particularly effective.

In terms of offense, Armored Golems are literally like walking tanks. They can fire at you from a distance with their Golem Laser, which diverges further over time, or they can move up close and engage with you in some very nasty melee brawling. Golem Laser fire is pretty easy to predict, even for idiots like your average Gaian; the golem's eyes will begin to glow, and it will bring its arms up right in front of it in preparation to fire the blast. Note that the beam will spread out radially, as I have already mentioned, and that evading it is easier if you were to get closer to the golem (since the radius of the beam will be smaller). For those who have enough intelligence to be curious about the laser's source, it is actually a high-powered carbon dioxide laser beam. The golem will fire it by generating massive electrical impulses in its armored body, and then utilizing atmospheric gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium, hydrogen) to fire the beam out of its hands, which have strong fascia that operate like pumps to produce the laser.

We shall now move on to examine the melee attacks of an Armored Golem. They will advance slowly towards a target, and depending on how much resistance they encounter as they advance, they will attack using different techniques. The standard Snap attack (a fast punch from each arm) is rather powerful, and is used by the golem to deal with targets that do not attempt to slow down its advances whatsoever. But if its advance is held up several times by significantly strong moves, the golem will instead unleash its deadly Megaton Punch, whereby it slams both of its palms down onto the ground with terrific force. The resulting shock waves that are generated will usually be powerful enough to shatter rocks, or even fissure the ground on which the golem struck home. If someone were to get smashed during the golem's downward slamming maneuver... I think you would know what a pancake is, yes?

Don't bother challenging Armored Golems; it is not worth the trouble, really.

* * *

**B**

Bad Rap (_Hapalochlaena Oculotoxicus_)

Purple-green marine cephalopods commonly found in the abyssal plains of Gaia's oceans, Bad Raps are infamous for their toxic secretions, which are sufficient to kill a fully-grown human man in five minutes, and which can still Blind a victim if it comes into contact with the eyes. Though it is basically harmless when not in the bloodstream, the poisonous secretions should not be simply handled by any fool out there; even I, a doctorate student in Biochemistry (specializing in Applied Zoology) have my doubts about handling the stuff. And for those geographically-ignorant folk out there, the abyssal plains of the ocean are between the depths of about 2000 to 6000 meters, with temperatures of about four degrees Celsius. Though they live at such depths, Bad Rap carcasses often wash up on beaches, where they end up poisoning people that are stupid enough to touch or otherwise handle the dead specimen.

Honestly, if you saw a dead, slimy, and disgusting-looking... _thing_ about six feet long lying on the beach, would you touch it willingly? Somehow, there ARE people out there who would answer 'yes' to that question - and in my opinion, they deserve being poisoned by the bloody carcass, anyways. Scientific curiosity and plain moronic behavior are very finely distinct, which incidentally also explains why many aspiring 'marine biologists' (note the inverted commas) have actually been killed during their attempts to study this rather infamous species.

Bad Raps are apparently the natural prey of the mysterious marine species called Unknown 2, and we only know this from stomach dissections of the few Unknown 2 specimens that we have actually managed to get our hands on. Apparently, the Unknown 2's are capable of stomaching these toxic little octopi, for a reason we have yet to discover. However, we know very little about the Unknown species (1, 2, 3, and 4), so I shall save their profiles for the section reserved for them in the subsequent parts of this manuscript.

In combat, Bad Raps will often try to Whip their tentacles at a target, sometimes doing so many times in rapid succession. Given their natural ability to retract their suckers and expose the sharp hooks within, it can be a very painful experience for a person who receives a decent swipe or two from these fierce creatures. And most people do not realize it, but this is an attempt by the Bad Rap to lacerate the victim's skin to expose the bloodstream to maximize the absorption of the venom which they secrete. So now you see, their Whip and Evil Poison attacks are actually two synergistic moves that serve to enhance the odds of poisoning a piece of potential prey. If the Bad Rap decides that their enemy is too big a threat, they will, however paradoxical it may sound, rush the opponent and bite them with their calcified beak. Used normally for mastication of food, they are also perfectly comfortable with using their beak to puncture a target's skin before oozing out copious amounts of poison into the wound.

Here, it should be noted that all forms of Poison-based magic and attacks are absolutely ineffective against a Bad Rap. I can personally vouch for this, since lobster pots used by the fishermen in Junon sometimes turn out a living specimen, and those poor fishermen are always glad for my assistance in dealing with these highly-untouchable creatures. As a matter of fact, if a Bad Rap is caught in a lobster pot, the entire catch is usually dumped back into the ocean due to fears of toxin contamination. The only reason why I keep getting calls for help from the fishermen is simply because Bad Raps tend to adhere to the pot's interior with their suckers, and removing them is a task best undertaken by an expert. Though it is true that they inhabit the deeper regions of Gaia's oceans, they do have a tendency to approach the surface when the moon is bright.

Sushi bars which have had customers dropping dead at their tables have always blamed such incidents on the venom of a Bad Rap, and forensic analysis usually confirms this apparently baseless accusation. As I have mentioned in the paragraph above, entire hauls of seafood can be contaminated by a single Bad Rap, thus resulting the in the situation above. Worse still is the case when a Bad Rap that did NOT get caught but which emptied out its venom sacs towards the fishing nets contaminates the entire catch. Therefore, even seemingly 'clean' fishing hauls can be potentially deadly, which gives way to the species' common name of 'Bad Rap'.

Due to their rarity, it is unlikely that most people who aren't fisher-folk would ever encounter a living Bad Rap, but I will nonetheless note that only experienced fighters should try combating one due to their extreme toxicity.

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Bagnadrana (_Heloderma Magniventris_)

Venomous, six-legged horned lizards that often grow up to three feet in length, Bagnadrana are native to the wilderness surrounding the mining town of Corel. Related to the smaller but no less venomous Gila Monster (_Heloderma Suspectus_), these creatures used to be hated (and still are considered as pests, by the way) due to their habit of nesting in mine shafts that had been left alone for too long. Hence, attempts to retrieve old equipment or to examine old mines for potential coal deposits that had been missed sometimes wound up with the deaths of several miners. Among the locals, they are known as 'Coal Dusters', and are usually killed upon sight due to the miners' deep-driven fear of being poisoned in a mine shaft.

Despite their poisonous nature and rather foul temperament, there does exist a small ranch of sorts where Bagnadrana are bred for their meat. The ranch is none other than the famous 'Triple-G Ranch', which specializes in rearing exotic species for their meat, hide, and other body parts. You see, Bagnadrana meat is edible if treated overnight in a concentrated brine solution seasoned with citric acid (limes and lemons for the ignorant). The marination process in that particular mix of liquids will actually 'deactivate' the toxin particles, thus rendering them harmless to anyone who eats them. However, _only_ the brine and citrus juice mixture works for the detoxification process, and the cured meat will actually recover its original toxicity if marinaded with anything other than the aforementioned mixture. Thus, the cured meat is usually served smoked, grilled, or roasted, since those three methods of cooking do not require the addition of other liquids to the meat that could possibly reactivate the toxin particles.

Of course, the actual chemistry behind the deactivation of the particles is a fascinating subject in itself, but I shall spare you ignorant twits the agony of reading through the fine details.

One of the reasons why Bagnadrana can survive and thrive in mine shafts is simply because they are immune to fire. Attempts by miners to eradicate them with dynamite have all failed, since the heat and immense pressures of a dynamite explosion actually work similarly to Fire- and Gravity-based magic, both of which are ineffective towards this species of poisonous lizard. The first of these properties merely gives backing to the theory that they are reptiles, whereas the anti-gravity properties of this species remains a mystery to us, till this day. Even if they mine shafts in which they have nested are collapsed in on them, they usually will not be squashed or crushed; instead, they often manage to worm their way out of the whole fiasco, and dissections have revealed that their joints are hypermobile, thus allowing for extreme contortions and bodily distortions. With regard to weaknesses, Ice-based magic can be very effective against them, as it is against all other reptiles.

Aside from their venom, Bagnadrana will often use their horns to try and gore any possible threats. From this, it can be deduced that they are actually quite stupid, since they prefer to use this attack more often than their Poison Breath, which is indubitably more efficient and deadly. The deadly gases exhaled by a Bagnadrana are lethal enough to kill a person within fifteen minutes, and the coal dust that is usually discharged along with the toxins can also serve as a good smokescreen to cover their escape from the battle. If their attackers actually manage to get a grip on them, they will try to use the age-old Fang attack to chew on the limbs holding them down. Given that their maws are saturated with poisonous particles and coal dust, I would not advise getting bitten by a Bagnadrana.

Moderately-experienced fighters may take one of these reptiles on in combat without any worries.

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Bahba Velamyu (_Bunian Sectumsempra_)

Endemic to the forests surrounding the sleepy mountain town of Nibelheim, Bahba Velamyu are a species aggressive ambush hunters that live in trees. They possess only two arms, but the two lengthy limbs are highly muscular and double-jointed, thus making them perfect adapted for an arboreal existence. Travelers who pass through the forests where they nest are always advised to keep an eye out for suspicious activities in the trees above them, such as leaves suddenly falling or branches creaking despite there being no breezes blowing at the moment. Bahba Velamyu tend to drop down directly onto their prey's heads, and will proceed to maul the unwary victim to death. If and only if they judge the potential prey to be more formidable, they shall instead drop down behind the targets, and try to get in a preemptive strike.

These unusual creatures have equally unusual names due to the former existence a nomadic tribe that once used to stop by Nibelheim to barter for supplies before they trekked across Mount Nibel. Though the tribe has long since died out, their name for these forest predators has remained till today; the phrase 'Bahba Velamyu' in their native tongue meant 'Slasher in the trees', and this is a very appropriate name for the species. I personally managed to subdue an entire group of them at once by spraying up clouds of paralytic gases into the trees of the forest, thus causing the dimwitted beings to drop down from their undoubtedly precarious perches.

Why 'Slasher in the trees', you might ask, in your ignorance of their offensive capabilities. You see, Bahba Velamyu usually attack with a series of vicious cutting moves, which have been divided into three categories for reference. Mainly, they will use a two-slash combination called Bone Cutter, which involves them striking their prey with their sharp claws hard enough to cleave through bone. Other than that, they also a double slash called Jumping Cutter, whereby they will propel themselves off the ground with their strong arms, before descending upon their intended victims in a flurry of swiping claws. This attack is not as strong as the Bone Cutter, since their falling motion will throw their accuracy off somewhat. If you use magic on them and miss, however, they will instead use a move called Magic Cutter on you, which uses some of their own natural magic to drain your magical energies out through any inflicted cuts. This move itself is a slashing attack which can open up new cuts, but it is important to note that the Magic Cutter may also drain the energy through any existing wounds.

Also, they can cast Slow and Silence spells somewhat accurately. Of the two, I'd say that the first is more annoying when dealing with them, for obvious reasons.

Elementally-speaking, Bahba Velamyu are not particularly vulnerable to any one element. Most status effect spells will not affect them, either. So the best way to deal with them will be to simply lop their arms off, since a creature with only two limbs probably wont be a significant threat if both of its limbs were removed now, would it? Other than that, this species is really quite dull and boring. The people from Nibelheim consider them to be pests, and it is rightly so.

Fighters with some experience may easily defeat these arboreal creatures in a fight.

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Bandersnatch (_Canis Bandersnatch_)

These sociable canines live amidst the frozen wastelands of Gaia's Icicle Area, where they survive in small packs of about four individuals. Renowned for their silvery fur, Bandersnatches have been hunted for centuries solely for the purpose of making fur coats. I find this to be a most abominable practice, since it disposes of a perfectly lovely specimen for the sake of filling someone's wardrobe. While it cannot be denied that clothing made out of Bandersnatch hide is extremely useful to keep oneself warm in freezing weather, I find it doubtful whether the usual buyers of these products would actually need them.

Domestication of this species has been done before, and I myself once had a Bandersnatch as a pet during my days growing up at the Icicle Area. I named him Rocky, since at the time, there was this movie about a boxer called Rocky that was quite popular. However, one day, Rocky just vanished from his kennel, and was never seen again. All we found were some tracks leading away from the village, heading towards the tree line. After some time of searching, we finally found his broken collar on the ground, half-buried in the freshly-fallen snow. Till this day, I often find myself wondering whether he actually ran away on his own accord, or is he had been kidnapped by a poacher out for some easy pickings.

But I guess that... there will be some questions which I shall never be able to answer. And this shall be one of them.

Anyways, moving on with the section, Bandersnatches are half-immune to Ice-based magic, and are extremely vulnerable to Fire spells. Biologically speaking, this is because their fur is actually double-layered, with a dense straight undercoat and a thick outer coat. Thus, snow and cold breezes will not affect them terribly much, which makes them admirably well-adapted to the icy landscapes where they dwell. In addition to that, their thick, layered coats are waterproof to a certain extent. So now you could probably understand why some of those rich fat cats are so desperate to own a Bandersnatch fur coat.

If threatened, Bandersnatches are formidable attackers that will not stop fighting until all threats to their pack have been neutralized. They will typically Bite their enemies with their sharp incisors, or try to knock down the opposition with a fierce Bodyblow that involves them charging at the aggressor and then body-slamming the stupid fool. If you actually manage to kill a Bandersnatch, however, any one of its pack mates will try to resurrect it using a Howling spell that works much like Life Materia does. In the event that the Bandersnatch does not manage to resurrect its fallen brethren, you'd better run, since it will proceed to attack you with a vastly increased level of ferocity. In addition to that, it has been observed that Bandersnatch Bites tend to cause a wave of disorientation and Confusion in their victims; this is caused by a rare species of bacteria that live in their digestive tracts, and which also can be found in their saliva.

Back when I was a child, there was this old man named Doc Watson. He was so old, even the village elders couldn't recall his full name clearly. Anyways, he was our resident veterinarian and wise man, a truly helpful soul who never hesitated to give anyone else help if it wasn't beyond his means to do so. Everyone trusted and respected him, and this included the Bandersnatches that lived in the wilderness around our humble village. They would often come to his hut and whine outside the door, to try and get his attention. Then, he would be lead to their dens, where usually an injured cub or several were waiting for him. Once or twice, he took me along on his expeditions, since he knew of my fascination with nature, and from there, I gradually developed an interest in Biochemistry.

Despite being an old man, he was really fit for his age, and when he eventually died while I was in my teens, it was due to a bungled attempt by poachers to squeeze the location of the Bandersnatch dens out of him. He died of a stroke when those fools were trying to grill him for information, and they tried to flee after that. But the Bandersnatches must have somehow known that their one true human friend had been murdered - the bloody corpses of the poachers were found in the woods later. Maybe it was because poor old Doc Watson had actually been under those scumbags' scrutiny for a while already, but once again... I guess I'll just never know.

Rocky was a good dog. He really was a saint among canines, and THAT is undeniable. As such, I shall not be elaborating further on their combative abilities, since I have no intention of contributing in any way to the decline of this wonderful species.

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Battery Cap (_Hypsilophodont Electrolingua_)

Distant relatives of an extinct species called Myconids, Battery Caps are mushroom-like creatures that are actually animals. Their 'caps' are actually their entire body, with the 'stalk' being an extremely strong tongue that is lined with rows of sharp teeth, much like the radula of a snail ('radula' means 'rasping tongue', for the dimwits who might be reading this). They basically move around on their tongues, by using the highly-muscular organ as an improvised leg of sorts, although they are only capable of traveling at an admittedly slow speed. Purple in color due to the presence of several high-powered capacitor organs in their caps, Battery Caps tend to stand out of the forest environment where they live, around the town of Nibelheim. The only reason why they still keep their deceptive, plant-like names is simply because they do possess an actual cap, and because there are simply too many people out there who know them by the traditional nomenclature.

As an aside, the invaluable manuscript called 'Beasts of Gaia', written by a long-dead Qu (Qus being an extinct sentient species once native to Gaia) called Ipsen Ornitier actually details the properties of a Myconid in a rather interesting, albeit unorthodox manner. The original master copy has long since been lost, but edited versions are usually available in Wutaian bookstores. Many species detailed in the manuscript are now extinct (Grimlocks and Plant Brains being notable examples), and many new species have since been discovered. But it is still a worthwhile read, since it outlines the basic axioms of Applied Zoology very thoroughly, and also since it provides a scientific insight into some facets of Gaian wildlife that sometimes seem too amazing to be true.

I might not believe in an afterlife, but I do occasionally wonder if the world named Memoria actually exists. Ipsen himself is a figure shrouded in mystery and mythology, and some modern historians doubt that he even lived at all.

Anyways, much like their extinct cousins the Myconid (_Hypsilophodont Fungi_), Battery Caps are highly reliant upon their tongues to survive. Remove a Battery Cap's tongue, and it becomes totally defenseless, as while as completely immobile. Removing said tongue, however, is not an easy task, especially since touching the actual organ will give you a pretty nasty electrical shock. In fact, captured Battery Caps were once used as spark generators in the electrical experiments of ancient Physicists. Michael Faraday, discoverer of the Laws of Electrolysis, once mentioned in a journal of his that 'these fungus-like beings have been the single greatest contribution by Mother Nature to the researchers of electrochemistry'.

Another contributing factor to their erroneous classification as mushrooms by some early Biologists is the fact that they will fire what appears to be a volley of seeds at anyone that intimidates them sufficiently. In actual fact, these 'seeds' are nothing more than remnants of a Battery Cap's meals that have remained in their digestive tracts. Since they tend to consume entire animals, bones and all, the ingested bones will typically be crushed and ground up into small masses of rock-hard matter that resemble seeds. Though these little chunks are about three inches in diameter, bear in mind that Battery Caps may grow up to five feet in height, and that the projectiles they fire could thus be easily mistaken for hard seeds at a glance. Other than using Seed Shots, they can also fire a beam of energy called the Four Laser, which is basically a toned-down version of an Armored Golem's notorious Golem Laser. They will fire this while lying on their caps and aiming their tongues at a possible target, and their accuracy is impressive.

Magic is usable against them, but you pea-brained people ought to drive it into your thick skulls that Battery Caps do not have any fixed weaknesses to the magical elements. Melee fighters should also be careful when trying to strike their tongues, since the electrical currents coursing through the tough appendage can be quite shocking, so to say. Though I have already mentioned the properties of a Battery Cap's tongue once, I did it once more since most Gaians are rather stubborn and stupid when it comes to reading guide books.

Experienced people may fight a Battery Cap with some caution.

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Beachplug (_Limulus Protegohorribilis_)

This unique marine arthropod is one of the few surviving species within the taxonomical class _Merostomata_, along with the Horseshoe Crab (_Limulus Polyphemus_). Endemic to the beaches near Corel, Gongaga, and the Gold Saucer casino, Beachplugs are named as such due to their (this is debatable) bad habits of sitting right above holes in the sandy beach. As they tend to stay still for extended periods of time, sand will cover them slightly, thus resulting in someone typically falling into a hole and then getting attacked by the angry Beachplug. Some old folks also enjoy telling their grandchildren that pulling a Beachplug out of the ground will cause the entire beach to become devoid of sand, since the 'plugs' keeping the sand from falling into the 'holes' have been removed.

May those blasphemous old farts burn in Hell for this blatant bit of bullshit scientific misinformation, if there is indeed a Hell.

Anyways, they are rather famous for their meat, which is sweet and firm. Usually, Beachplugs will be steamed with butter and then served up in the molten butter, with a side dish of sweet buns to be dipped in the gravy. However, eating Beachplugs will burn a large hole in your pocket, should you decided to try it. This is because they are deviously difficult to catch, and as such, servings of their meat usually will cost up to 100 gil per 50 grams of Beachplug. Since that 50 grams of weight includes any exoskeleton that might be there on the scale, you'll actually be getting very little meat for your monies. But some people say it is worth the expense, and these connoisseurs even go so far as to say that 'a Beachplug's lungs are the tastiest bit'. I once tasted some of the meat at a company function, and I have to say that for once, I actually agree with those blasted food critics.

Now, the reason why Beachplugs are so hard to catch is their very impressive defensive abilities in a fight. Since they typically grow up to eight inches in length, most people would stupidly assume that they aren't capable of much. But their Big Guard spells are legendary for being able to repel practically every attack ever conceived in the history of Gaian combat, and most SOLDIER members will try to get that very skill using an Enemy Skill Materia if they ever get one of the rare things for their own personal use. Experiments conducted by Dr. Buter into the defensive potential of a Big Guard spell revealed that the spell was powerful enough to even withstand a lightning bolt hitting it directly. Given that lightning bolts can even superheat the air which they pass through to a temperature of thirty-three thousand degrees Celsius, it goes without saying that Big Guard is probably the best spell for protection in combat that has been discovered to date.

With regards to attacks, Beachplugs only know how to Bite attackers very painfully. Their Ice spells are horrendously inaccurate, so you probably wont need to be too worried about those particular attacks. The Bites of a Beachplug can be very nasty, especially since they will attempt to further widen the wound by sticking their three prehensile telsons (in the ignorant man's language: tail spines) into the hole and wiggling them about in the wound. Not a nice thing to have happening to you, especially after you consider the sheer amount of harmful bacteria that tend to accumulate on said telsons. The germ problem with their telsons is so bad, as a matter a of fact, that merely brushing the telson with your bare hands might result in the transmission of some fascinating but nonetheless nasty flesh-eating bacteria onto your skin. There was once a fisherman who tried to catch a Beachplug with his bare hands and a net; he wound up being stung viciously by the panicked arthropod, and died several hours later in a clinic, his skin already looking as though it had been ravaged by a concentrated acid or some other chemical agent.

Given that just touching them is possibly harmful, I have to say that Beachplugs are probably the epitome of defensive evolution. Did I mention that they also have a partial immunity to Ice-based magic? Well, there you have it - they can even survive being thrown into a freezer, and might have enough wind left in them to give you a good lashing once you let them out of the cold. Add in Big Guard to their list of credentials, and I'm sure that even an ignoramus like the average Gaian human would appreciate the Beachplug's natural hardiness.

Don't bother trying to fight a Beachplug; save yourself the frustration of trying to kill something that creates dilemmas which probably go way beyond your intelligence's limits.

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Behemoth (_Behemoth Gigantus_)

Powerful reptiles native to the caverns beneath Midgar's foundations, Behemoths are one of the most ferocious creatures you'll find outside of the Northern Crater. Growing to more than twelve feet in length and yet weighing no more than two hundred pounds, these subterranean lizards were one of the things that stood in the way Midgar's construction. Entire work crews and mountains of machinery were rendered useless by Behemoths within the first few months of Midgar's construction, until it was discovered that they were highly averse to sulfur. As such, sulfur powder was liberally strewn all about the tunnels where foundation works were being carried out, and the problem was solved. Despite this apparent weakness, however, Behemoths are not to be trifled with simply, as they can still take you down with ease if provoked enough.

Now, Behemoths are the only species which Lucrecia and I actually fear. You see, we went prospecting for them in the tunnels where they had been known to live, and when we did run into one, we very nearly got ourselves killed. The Behemoth specimen had been hiding in the shadows behind one of Midgar's foundation struts, and its first move was to throw a Flare spell at us that turned the tunnel into a veritable furnace. Luckily for us, I managed to throw up a Reflect spell fast enough, while Lucrecia cast a quick Ice3 spell in the Behemoths direction, since reptiles tend to be weak against Ice-based magic. However, the huge thing merely shrugged off the attack, and charged at us. That was when we learned that a Behemoth had no elemental weaknesses, and that spells cast against it would promptly elicit a Flare counter-attack in response.

Physically, their strength is obvious in their melee attacks, which also nearly led to the deaths of myself and Lucrecia. A Behemoth will toss its head rapidly when charging, and the one we encountered left numerous gouge marks on the tunnel walls as it tried to ram us. Considering that the tunnel had been bored out of solid bedrock, this was an impressive show of strength, indeed. In the near-darkness of the tunnel, it was quite a terrifying sight, that of the hungry Behemoth barreling towards us at top speed. Undoubtedly, being hit by their Horn attacks would be fatal. Furthermore, before we actually took it down with a Magic Breath spell, the furious creature's Claws actually managed to leave several deep grooves in the ground as it keeled over. So it would probably be advisable to stay away from their Horns and Claws.

It is was indeed a terrifying moment, seeing the huge thing charging at us at top speed... Every spell we threw at it merely made it stop for the briefest of seconds, and the furious beast countered them with Flares, to boot! I have already said all this before, and I'll say it again; that Behemoth encounter is NOT something I'd like to do again.

Dissection of the specimen revealed a beautiful musculoskeletal system, which has now been put on display at the main lobby of the ShinRa Museum of Natural History in Sector 7. Truly, if there is to be one specimen which I am proud to have obtained (even if it was partially due to that irritating woman's help), it would be the Behemoth's skeleton.

None of you nitwits should even bother challenging a Behemoth, since you would most likely end up dead if you tried to confront one.

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Bizarre Bug (Pandinus Pseudocoleopteris)

As with many other animals on Gaia, Bizarre Bugs are yet another species which have been named with a dreadful misnomer. Early entomologists just couldn't understand why these admittedly unusual specimens had a scorpion's tail despite resembling beetles, though of course we now know better. It was proven by the devoted entomologist (and later, sexologist) Alfred Kinsey that these creatures are actually scorpions which have evolved a sort of armored carapace and wings similar to that of a beetle. Native to the wilderness around Wutai, these Bizarre Bugs were hunted many centuries ago to be slaughtered for their elytra (or wing carapaces, for the slower folk out there) by the primitive Wutaian people, to be used as shields in battle. Well, I have to admit that their elytra are indeed tough, to the extent that early SOLDIER bulletproof vests used to be made out of them. However, when ShinRa tested its prototype pulse rifles on them, the vests exploded into smithereens, so nowadays SOLDIER bulletproof vests are made of a Kevlar derivative.

Some Wutaian hunters have actually captured and tamed a few of these rather cowardly arachnids, and they often use the domesticated Bugs as hunting animals. Though they lack a hunting dog's acute sense of scent and excellent hearing, Bizarre Bugs have the ability to fly, and also the ability to immobilize prey by rapidly bludgeoning said animals with their tails. You see, here is where the Bizarre Bug's evolutionary divergence from your typical scorpion is made even more obvious - they actually lack a stinger at the tip of their tails, instead having a muscular gas bladder running through the interior of the tail that is capable of spewing out clouds of Toxic Powder. From that, I have to say that the entomologists of the olden days were not entirely to blame for their erroneous naming of this particular species, since the degeneration of its pincers and development of wings as well as elytra have indeed made a Bizarre Bug's identity as a scorpion difficult to deduce.

For your information, Bizarre Bugs are typically five feet in length when they curl their tails beneath their elytra, and with the tail extended, a specimen could easily gain another five feet in length.

Though they prefer to flee rather than fight, Bizarre Bugs are still rather decent in a fight. Aside from their ability to spray out their unique blend of natural toxins in a powdered form, they can also slam into opponents with sufficient force to break bones (especially given their significantly hard exoskeletons). As I have already said earlier, they also can use their tails to give you a powerful whipping if the situation calls for it, and in my correct opinion, this is the deadliest of the three common attacks of this species. Reason being, their physical reach is nearly doubled by this attack, and if they are in mid-air when they use it, your head could very easily be swiped off your shoulders with one swift stroke of a Bizarre Bug's tail.

To deal with them in combat, I'd advise the use of Slow Materia. Since they have a tendency to rapidly fly in circles around you while striking out at you periodically, Slowing them down would be very handy. Once you have Slowed the specimen down sufficiently, a quick swipe of a blade could then remove their tails rather efficiently, which effectively leads to the death of the creature. Obviously, having parts of your stomach carved out would kill you, but I guessed that most of you ignorant people wouldn't have known that a scorpion's tail is actually an extension of its abdomen. Thus, this entire paragraph just had to be written for your sake.

Other than that, nothing especially noteworthy occurs with regards to this species, so I'd end with a note that experienced fighters should try to fight a Bizarre Bug (due to their habit of swarming potential prey).

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Black Bat (_Desmodus Osmose_)

Known commonly as Seeker Bats in the olden days, Black Bats are completely blind mammals that make their nests in subterranean caves where the sun never shines. When the ShinRa Mansion was built on the outskirts of Nibelheim, an underground cave network was discovered beneath the Mansion's foundations. Swarms of these bloodthirsty fiends assaulted the workers who explored the tunnels, and left them as nothing more than drained, mummy-like husks. But the Turk who was there overseeing the operations (whom I shall not name here) used a powerful Tornado spell to deal with the Bats, and for then, at least, the problem was solved. So since then, it has been compulsory for workers going down into the tunnels to have some form of combat training on them. Otherwise, a SOLDIER or Turk usually accompanies them when going down under.

Professor Gast set up his library in the basement, and I did likewise with my workstation. It's the ideal place for work since very few people would dare to try and walk about in the dark tunnels leading down there. There are several extremely exciting species present in the caves there, which have been subject to several fascinating experiments of mine, and I am delighted to have had the chance of encountering such rare specimens. However, that stupid Turk assigned to the mansion insists on blasting by specimens into oblivion with his guns whenever he gets the chance, and Lucrecia always tries to cover up for the bastard. Hmph! As if I can't see past their little game of charades...

He'll get what's coming to him one day. Just mark my words; I _will_ get to use a scalpel on him someday soon...

Now, Black Bats generally are quite agile in their natural environment, since their echolocation abilities are unsurpassed by any of Gaia's other bat species. In a fight, they will usually Dodge your attacks rather easily, before swooping in to use their infamous Blood Suck move on you. This merely drains out a pint of blood or three, and will _not_ turn you into a sanguivorous nocturnal creature that has an aversion to garlic and sunlight. In simpleton's speak; you wont turn into a vampire, no matter how many bites you take from a Black Bat. You'd be more likely to be sucked completely dry, or maybe contract rabies if you actually survive the attack.

Black Bats are Aerial, which says a lot about their strengths and weaknesses from a magical standpoint. Other than those properties, they somehow have a weakness against Holy spells, and can also take damage from any common Restorative spells. This has been interpreted as a possible link to Undead magic, according to Professor Gast, since only the Undead and Demons have an actual weakness against Holy and/or Restorative magic.

Personally, I find them to be quite cute. Alas, my attempts to catch and tame one have all ended in failure, usually because of that meddling Turk! Stupid bastard child keeps on trying to treat my Black Bats like he would a clay pigeon. And as much as I hate to say it, his aim is good enough to actually end the lives of every single one of my poor little Bats.

Only experienced fighters should take on Black Bats, since they tend to attack in groups.

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Bloatfloat (_Diodon Pascalminimus_)

These Aerial creatures, native to the regions within the vicinity of Mount Corel, literally live up to their names since they happen to float, and are very bloated things. Freshwater relatives of the common porcupine fish, Bloatfloats possess vestigial air lungs that enable them to breathe steadily even when out of water, albeit for a short period of time only. Of the various species of porcupine fish that live on Gaia, these mountain river-dwellers happen to be the largest, with an approximate length of five feet from snout to tail. Their ability to fly is derived from a mixture of buoyant gases that fill several sac-like structures that lay just beneath their rather resilient skin, though this makes them rather ungainly swimmers. If you ever have to collect water from a body of water up on Mount Corel, be wary of a possible ambush by one of these specimens, since they tend to launch themselves out of the water with impressive velocity.

Now, their species name, _Pascalminimus_, was given to them since this particular species was used quite extensively by the great scientist Blaise Pascal in his experiments regarding the Physics behind barometers. He utilized the ability of Bloatfloats to generate vacuums to prove that barometer readings actually decreased with pressure, which later became a precursor to his theory that air pressure decreased as elevation increased. As such, the name given to Bloatfloats was derived from Pascal's own surname (also the unit for Pressure, which I'm quite sure you wouldn't know), and the word 'minimus', to indicate a small amount.

As I have just mentioned, Bloatfloats may generate vacuums. This is done by the Bloatfloat forcefully emptying out every little bit of inhaled air in its body through numerous pores, followed by a rapid lung forward while it simultaneously opens up its mouth wide. The sudden opening of its mouth, coupled with the lower air pressure within its body, will result in a terrific suction being generated. Naturally, this is a rather impressive feeding mechanism, since Bloatfloats have no teeth whatsoever, and tend to swallow their prey whole. Even underwater, this works rather well, since they have been observed to be capable of sucking in several gallons of water all at once, together with whatever edible matter happens to be in the water at the time. In combat, this vacuum is usually sufficient to yank a person off his or her feet; a situation which may slant the odds in the Bloatfloat's favor. Once the target is downed, the spiny fish will then rush forward and ram into the stupid sucker with its spines all standing up, due to the vast amount of air that had just been inhaled.

It is fun if you can actually manage to puncture their bodies when they are fully inflated; try to imagine a balloon full of air being released without being tied shut. Of course, I'd be careful to avoid the ruptured Bloatfloat as it flies around in random directions, since even a graze wound inflicted by their spines would be enough to kill you.

If desperate, however, Bloatfloats will suck in even _more_ air, and fire their spines at whoever is threatening them. This is dangerous to both parties, since the Bloatfloat will actually end up ripping out small portions of its skin and subcutaneous muscles when it fires the spines, and the fired spines are very effective in poisoning whoever gets hit by them. Usually, the Bloatfloat will attempt to flee back to the nearest water source once it fires its spines, to try and hide. Once it gets itself submerged, it typically goes into a comatose state for about three days to regenerate the damaged parts of its anatomy.

Some chefs have found ways to serve Bloatfloat meat, though too many poisoning cases have occurred at the hands of inexperienced cooks such that very few people actually dare to try the stuff. Indeed, the tetrodotoxin contained within Bloatfloat meat is the very substance that makes puffer fishes so poisonous, which has of course led to some brainless morons proposing that they be classified as puffer fishes rather than porcupine fishes! A Bloatfloat can raise its spines, which is why they are categorized as porcupine fishes, and also why I raise my middle finger to those imbeciles calling themselves scientists.

Moderately-experienced fighters may take on Bloatfloats and survive.

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Blood Taste (_Canis Tentacula_)

Often found prowling about the darker and dingier parts of Midgar's Mako reactors, Blood Tastes are canine creatures that possess a set of fine, filamentous tentacles sprouting out of the back of their heads. Usually, these tentacles will twist around each other and form a sort of thick braid, which moves much like a monkey's prehensile tail would (the word 'prehensile' means movable through voluntary action, in case you didn't already know - which I think is the likelier possibility). Pulling on this bundle of tentacles is actually good enough to paralyze a Blood Taste, so I shall not bother to describe the species' combat abilities any further. This happens due to the extensive innervation of the tentacles, which basically means that the bundle of fibers is little more than a massive length of nervous tissue.

It is notable that this bundle of nervous fibers is particularly useful for studies of neurons in Physiology. Since the fibers are quite large, the individual neurons are also considerably sizable, and not all of them are myelinated. For those who cannot understand what the term 'myelinated' means, it just goes to show that you lack even a basic understanding of how your body relays electrical impulses throughout itself. Go and read a book on the nervous system, and you will be able to comprehend how a Blood Taste's nerve fibers are useful for experimentation.

Just watch out for the stingers at the end of the tentacles, which have a form of Osmose magic imbued in them, and give the bundle a decent yank or cut. Those instructions should be simple enough for a simpleton to follow, yes?

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Blue Dragon (_Naga Blizzarabasophilia_)

Aerial Dragons endemic to the frozen regions surrounding Gaea's Cliff, Blue Dragons are rather docile creatures that normally back down from confrontations. Indeed, they are peaceful herbivores that wouldn't hurt any other animals that cross their paths, unless of course said animals actually attack them. If angered, however, these gentle giants will be rather thorough in ripping you a new one - or several - in a manner that is most likely to be unpleasant and painful. That did not stop Lucrecia and I from dealing with a specimen we found, however, and it was every bit as formidable in a fight as its reputation had led us to believe.

Now, the axiom of Aerial creatures being particularly vulnerable to Wind-based spells and their corresponding immunity to Earth-based magic does not apply to Blue Dragons. These dragons actually do take some measure of damage from Earth-based magic, and have not been observed to possess a weakness to Wind spells. However, they are rather weak against Gravity spells of sufficient strength, and as would be expected of a creature inhabiting the frozen landscapes near Gaea's Cliff, they can absorb all forms of Ice-based energy and magic. This has been theorized to be an evolutionary adaptation to their chilly natural environment, though the truth in that particular hypothesis is debatable.

As I have already mentioned, Blue Dragons are rather formidable fighters. Physically, they will attack using their Dragon Fangs and Tails, both of which are strong enough to smash through solid rock (especially the Tail attacks). Due to their rather sluggish nature, these attacks are quite easy to predict, and you'd be wise to step aside when a Blue Dragon opens its mouth wide or starts to swing its tail from left-to-right. Their magical offenses are also noteworthy, such as the Great Gale spell and Blue Dragon Breath. The former is a Wind-based spell that can actually blind you if it hits you dead-on, and the latter is an Ice-based spell that has been proven to be so potent that it can actually freeze a column of water in mid-air.

I shall go slightly into detail about the Great Gale spell, since it is the deadlier of a Blue Dragon's natural magical defenses. A Blue Dragon about to use this spell will flap its wings and fly up into the air, and the air around it will be whipped up into a stormy frenzy. Also, the restless air will start to gain a peculiar coloration much like that of Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights. A beautiful sight, that's for sure, but a dangerous one, since the attack that soon follows will be powerful enough to erode solid rock. When Lucrecia and I tried to hide behind a rock to avoid this one attack, the huge boulder itself began to crack, as the spell hit it at its maximum intensity. Then, there was a flash of blinding light, and we were blinded for the next few seconds. Fortunately, that woman used some of her brains and cast a Big Guard spell to keep the blasted dragon away until our vision returned to us.

Blue Dragons should not be challenged by anyone without lots of battle experience, and whose IQ's are below average.

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Bomb (_Exploda Expanda_)

Nasty, foul-tempered, flaming gas bags, Bombs will literally blow up in your face if you're not careful. Though they are rather weak, their self-destructing explosions can be deadly, especially in confined areas. Captured Bombs have been used for centuries as an explosive type of cannon shot, and have never failed to deliver a satisfying explosion. Their perpetually-burning bodies are capable of flight (making them immune to Earth-based spells) due to a mixture of light, volatile gases within them. These gases are in a delicate balance with each other, and will explode if too much regular air is inhaled by the Bomb.

Some scientists (notably Dr. Buter) have done research to answer the question about how Bombs keep burning as they fly around. Well, the research found that Bombs are actually quite charged with magical energy, and as such, their Fire elemental properties actually show some physical signs or being, namely, the flames that engulf a Bomb's entire body. A steady, slow, and very discrete leakage of their internal gases also feeds the flames, as proved by Dr. Buter when he Silenced a Bomb and observed small jets of fire shooting out of the creature's skin periodically.

Obviously, Bombs would be totally immune to Fire- and Earth- based spells. If you cannot comprehend why... go back to kindergarten and eat cake.

Despite their relatively light mass, Bombs can deliver a nasty Bodyblow attack, because of their flaming skin. They can also shoot Fire Balls at their attackers, and will expand when they suck in air through their mouth. Once an expanding Bomb senses that it has approached critical mass, it will trigger a Blow-Up attack by inhaling one last breath of air. The resulting explosion is usually sufficient to turn a two-foot thick brick wall into dust, never mind what it can do to wood, metal, and glass.

Before dynamite was discovered, miners used to travel to Mount Corel, where these creatures are naturally found, in the caverns that lead deep beneath the mountain's rocky cliffs and ledges. Ice3 spells would be used to freeze the desired Bombs into blocks of ice, which would then be wrapped in burlap and lugged back to the mines where they were to be used. The blocks of ice with the trapped Bomb would be placed where the detonation was required, and could be left to thaw after being briefly scorched with a Fire spell. Once air contacted the skin of the formerly-frozen Bomb, it would explode. But sometimes, if the Ice3 spell used was not strong enough, or the ice layer not evenly thick, the Bomb would explode while in transit. Thus, the invention of dynamite by the famous chemist Alfred Nobel greatly reduced the risks involved in mining, and the Bombs were generally left alone after that.

It is also noted in some historical journals that Bombs captured and immobilized in the aforementioned state were often used as projectile weapons. In this case, the frozen Bomb would be loaded onto a trebuchet or even into a cannon, and then fired at a target. Upon impact, the ice block usually shattered, causing the explosion of the Bomb. However, some fools in the past once tried to ignite their cannon fuses with Fire spells, which was how Mideel ended up being part of the Wutaian Empire several centuries ago.

Moderately experienced fighters may easily defeat Bombs in a fight.

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Boundfat (_Quillianita Hypothermus_)

A close relative of Hedgehog Pies that can be found quite commonly at Corel Valley, Boundfats are cold-blooded annoyances that often harass travelers. These stinking, bellicose creatures, however, usually fail in ambushing a person since their presence gets given away by their putrid body odor. Though they are born with transparent skin, Boundfats typically end up looking slightly yellowish due to the large amounts of fat that lies under their thin skins. As might be expected from their genus name, Boundfats do possess some short spines on their body, which are used normally for attacking potential prey.

Now, the fat under their skin is usually quite smelly, and the stench leaks out through their opened pores quite readily. In the past, people used to catch Boundfats and slowly kill them by roasting them over slow fires, with empty pans placed beneath the bound animal. The fat would drip down into the pan and then be be left to cool for several hours, and be solidified as a sort of oily solid. Then, it could be used to treat minor burns, and the results were usually quite impressive. Hence, these smelly beasts were named as Boundfats, given the way in which their bodily fluids were commonly extracted. Nowadays, a synthetic version of Boundfat oil is commonly sold in pharmacies as a product named Silvadene, with silver sulfadiazine as its active component, and as such, the oil is now restricted to the usage of traditional medicine men and snake oil peddlers.

In combat, Boundfats are rather interesting. Usually, they will fire their spines at you in an attempt to blind you, before casting several Ice2 spells at you to bring you down. But their aim is horrendous, and as such, it is very easy to sidestep their puny attacks and then give them a swift kick in the belly. Such actions would immediately send the stupid thing flying, and you would just need to keep your eyes opened for any possible Death Sentence spells they send your way. If magic is your preferred method of dealing with such vermin, avoid Ice-based spells, since Boundfats do have a capacity to absorb those particular spells.

Should a Boundfat try to charge at you, sidestep the Bodyblow and give the foolish thing a hard kick to the derriere - it works for me.

Moderately-experienced fighters can fight these stinking sots, since Death Sentence spells are sometimes quite hard to evade.

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Brain Pod (_Craniotoxicus superficius_)

Appearing rather like small pot-bellied stoves, Brain Pods are no longer found in the Gaian wilderness. Once found in swamps where decaying organic matter was abundant, these poisonous creatures have since been hunted to extinction by overzealous poachers that were after their gizzard stones. You see, the innards of a Brain Pod are rather unusual in a biological sense, since they actually maintain a constant, high-pressured state. Some of my experiments have confirmed that the mean gastrointestinal air pressure of a Brain Pod is about sixty atmospheres, or sixty times greater than atmospheric air pressure for the more ignorant readers out there. Hence, when a Brain pod ingests a stone (to aid in crushing food in its stomach), the stone usually ends up being polished and compressed under high pressure, eventually forming a sort of pearl-like solid.

Now, these Brain Pod 'pearls' are valued highly by jewelers since they can somehow absorb light in various fascinating ways. Every individual pearl is unique, and usually, each pearl reflects a particular wavelength of light in a whorl-like pattern. To better understand this, imagine a person's thumbprint, but with the inky lines being replaced by gentle reflections of light, and the paper being replaced by any color other than that of the reflected light. I am no expert on photonics, but I can assure you, there has to be a valid scientific reason for all this (not any spiritual reasons, as some stubborn fools insist on believing in).

President ShinRa's wife once had a necklace consisting of about fifty Brain Pod pearls strung together, and the whole assemblage cost her about twenty thousand Gil. But the bitch threw it away one day after complaining that it had lost its luster; very stupid of her, especially given that a gentle wipe-down with some vinegar would have restored the pearls to their full, shining glory.

Now, these unusual animals are not called Brain Pods for any careless reason; they have been called as such because portions of their brains actually protrude out of their bodies. In a living, clean specimen, these brain parts will be observed as turqoise-colored lumps on their rounded physiques, the turqoise material being a thick, durable membrane that forms part of a Brain Pod's meninges. Even a sharp hunting knife will be dulled by these membranes, and their skin is almost as durable as the brain extensions are. Two evolutionists and taxonomists, Margulis and Schwartz, once proposed that the development of such a scattered neurological system was to allow for near-total compression of a the specimen's body, and till today, no other theory has been developed to disprove of this notion.

From experiments on the breeding stocks of the species which we keep in the ShinRa laboratories, Brain Pods are immune to all forms of Poison- and Earth-based magic. No particularly noteworthy weaknesses have been observed, and their offensive capabilities are limited to halfhearted Bodyblows and ejection of Refuse at targets. This Refuse is highly-toxic, however, and is also caustic enough to dissolve neoprene (look it up as 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene if you have no idea what it is, simpleton).

No one out there should be fighting a Brain pod, since they only exist in my laboratory. And I don't take kindly to intruders.


	3. Species CDE

**C**

Cactuar (_Aloe Pacifisapiens_)

Resembling a cactus plant - if their names haven't already made it obvious - with a face and two lanky legs, Cactuars are plants that have not lost their ability to move through evolution. They are particularly known for this trait, since other than themselves and the Mandragora species, practically no other plant species have been observed to possess locomotive physical functions of an appreciable quality. Note the phrase 'appreciable quality', because even though other motile species of plant do exist on Gaia, their ability to move from one place to another is typically inefficient or tedious, unlike the Cactuar or Mandragora. However, despite their agility, Cactuars are normally rather sessile (sessile can be translated to mean 'remaining in a fixed position' for those more ignorant people out there) and prefer to sit quietly in a sunny patch of desert, where they may (hopefully) live out the rest of their days in peace. From there, it should be obvious that Cactuars are only found at the Corel Desert near the Gold Saucer, and also a small islet called Cactus Island, just north of Corel (though the Cactuars found on the island have been named as Cactuers by the indigenous people).

Now, most typical offensive spells aren't effective in any way against Cactuars. This was theorized to have been because they actually manage to absorb some significant amounts of Mako from where they rest, which would therefore grant them some measure of immunity against magical attacks. This theory was supported by a series of Cactuar dissections as well as toxicology and tissue tests that were conducted by yours truly (assisted by Lucrecia Crescent, of course), which in the end revealed a higher concentration of Mako to be in their crucial internal fluids. In fact, the Mako content of Cactuar sap was found to exceed that of normal plants by a factor of ten - very impressive indeed. This means that compared to normal plants which are rooted in one spot throughout their lives, Cactuars can actually absorb Mako more efficiently despite their severely-degenerated root structures, and also their tendency to move about occasionally.

Culturally, Cactuars have been a part of lore and legend for centuries. Compared to the Mandragora, Cactuars are more vigorous in terms of motion and have been known to actually stray into human habitations such as villages. There, they were usually seen as Hell-spawn and then attacked - rather foolishly. The aggravated Cactuar would then proceed to attack the villagers with its famous 1000 Needles attack (which we will come to later), an action that guaranteed several casualties and deaths. But the villagers could hardly be blamed - they knew nothing of a Cactuar's docile nature, and seeing a walking plant with semblances of a face on its trunk would have probably been a frightful thing to the gutless simpletons. But there have existed some villagers in the past who chronicled their experiences with handling Cactuars, and among them were several medicine men who experimented with remedies derived from Cactuar tissues.

Before we go slightly into the details of how Cactuars respond to aggression, let us examine the chemical properties of Cactuar-based derivatives. Among the most well-known Cactuar derivatives include Hi Potions and Antidotes for various deadly toxins, though of course nowadays synthetic variants are more commonly used (Lattisibromophenol in Hi Potions and cholecystokineticase in Antidotes). If you do not know what those two chemicals were, I suggest reading the backs of your Hi Potion and Antidote flasks before you dispose of them next time - something tells me that you'd be an easy target for poisoning if you didn't do that on your own already. Somehow, the Cactuar's ability to resist magical attacks carries through to fluids derived from their bodies, though it has been noted that boiling the fluids for more than three hours would remove all of their restorative properties. So, in the past, the common folk relied on Cactuar fluids for their medicines, and usually, only their village medicine men would dare to go out into the deserts and hunt for Cactuars.

Moving on, we shall now discuss the combative abilities of Cactuars. Their 1000 Needles attack is an amazing bit of magic that is unique to its species, and among all the species I have studied, I tip my hat to the Cactuars for this little bit of beauty. You see, 1000 Needles literally involves the Cactuar firing a _thousand_ needles at one of its opponents; a move that often results in the demise of said moron. But what makes it so beautiful a spell, one might wonder? Well, due to the partial-physical nature of the attack, Reflect spells do not work against it, and the situation is likewise with Shell and other defensive enchantments. This is simply because a Cactuar will actually only fling a single spine off its body, which then self-replicates into a thousand copies within exactly ten nanoseconds before being propelled towards a target at an average velocity of ninety kilometers an hour, or about twenty-five meters per second. The proving of these astonishing statistics was done by the legendary Biologist Dr. Buter, and his mesaurements were conducted using a most ingenious method involving the reflection of light and perforation angles along a thin sheet of gold foil (which I shall not explain about, since most of you ignoramus out there would probably not appreciate for its relative simplicity).

Only experienced fighters ought to challenge Cactuars, since their reflexes are considerably fast for a plant that can fight.

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Capparwire (_Cupromagnus Quadrubrachialis_)

These timid creatures are endemic to the Junon area, where they spend most of their time hiding behind rocks. Due to their four lanky limbs, they have been known to occasionally climb trees, where they shall linger for quite some time. Given that they aren't particularly known for their speed, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Capparwires that climb up trees have been recorded to stay up on their lofty perches for as long as three months at a stretch! They are lithotrophs, and as such, have no need to descend from the tree in which they are resting to grab some food. Admittedly, complex lithotrophs are rare even on Gaian soil, so I shall just note here that they are creatures which consume inorganic materials from which they derive nutrients. If you couldn't differentiate between a complex and simple lithotroph, I'll make it simple for you; simple ones would probably need a microscope to be observed, whereas complex lithotrophs would probably be very visible to your naked eye (unless of course you were blind, in which case you have my sympathies).

Now, their scientific name implies that Capparwires have an affinity for copper metal. This is true, and in the early days of electricity, Capparwires used to be hunted down and killed so that the pure copper deposits in their digestive tracts could be collected and made into wires (which also contributed to their name, along with a localized spelling of the word 'copper'). However, some Capparwire hunters grew smart after a while and merely slit their stomachs open to retrieve the copper. This was in the long term a wiser method of dealing with the Capparwires, since they can actually replenish their copper supply rather speedily if they so wished to. In fact, one could easily estimate the relative abundance of a Capparwire's internal copper supply by just looking at its skin - colorful Capparwire skin would indicate a richer copper deposit, since some of the ingested copper would form copper (II) sulphate and copper (II) chloride salts that are stored in the creature's subcutaneous fat.

With regards to combat, a Capparwire is hardly a formidable opponent. All Capparwires know only two attacks, namely Grand Spark and Wire Attack. Grand Spark is usually a powerful move that generates shock waves in the ground that travel in a forward-facing direction, but not so with regards to this particular species. Their Grand Sparks are more like not-so-Grand Sparks, since all they can do is knock you off your feet, and then try to flee from the fight. Wire Attacks are somewhat trickier to deal with, though, since being constricted with their wiry limbs can be dangerous if they get a grip on certain parts of one's anatomy (I don't think I'll need to elaborate on that, even for those with the most vestigial remnants of minds).

Capparwires do not have any elemental properties that I am aware of, and Lightning-based spells are mainly useless against them, since their bodies channel the energy right into the ground like a lightning rod does. Basically, their species' physiology makes them walking, copper lightning rods, so maybe you could find some useful anti-Capparwire moves to be used against them. Do take note that if you are stupid enough to actually use a Bolt spell on a Capparwire, it might actually reach out and grab you to give you a literal taste of your own medicine.

Moderately-experienced fighters may easily challenge a Capparwire, and it is even easier to do so if one understands the basic principles behind electricity.

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Castanets (_Metacarcinus Castanets_)

Now, this animal has NOTHING to do with those annoying _things_ called castanets. You know what I'm referring to; those two pieces of wood that are supposed to be considered as 'musical instruments'. The Castanet I shall be talking about here is the large, five-foot long species of freshwater crab that are native to the darker tunnels of the Mithril Mines. You see, the underground caverns that make up the natural portion of the Mines do have certain locations where subterranean water reservoirs are located. So these creatures congregate in the water reservoirs, where they grow some extraordinarily hard exoskeletons due to the rich mineral content of the water. This has been proven by the early experiments of Dr. Buter, who raised some Castanets in a freshwater lake and observed that their shells weren't quite as hard as those which had grown up in the Mines.

However, there is one unusual property of a Castanets that kept scientists intrigued for quite some time. As should be known to you by now (if you had any brain cells at all), mithril is a fire-proof substance. Somehow, despite being literally bathed in mithril for the entire duration of their lives and assimilating it into their shells, Castanets are all weak against Fire spells. A curious contradiction of nature, if there ever had been one! And it wasn't until the legendary novelist JRR Tolkien managed to somehow dig up an obscure fact about mithril that the truth was finally deduced.

You see, Tolkien mentioned in his novel 'The Fellowship of the Ring' that mithril's natural luster was only visible under moonlight or starlight. Which of course managed to get the brain juices flowing for some of the more prominent zoologists of his time. Further investigations revealed that while mithril only _shone_ under moonlight or starlight, _moonlight or starlight were also the two exact types of light that initiated the development of mithril's fire-proof properties._ The 'switching on' of the ore's anti-flame magical fields involves a complex photochemical mechanism, so it made sense that the dark subterranean rivers and lakes where the Castanets made their nests would have been somewhat deficient in activated mithril.

As an aside, I'd now expect any reader of this manuscript to understand why weapons made of unactivated mithril are always sold with instructions to leave them exposed to a moonlit night before they are used in actual combat.

Anyways, moving on with the species at hand, Castanets are weak against Fire, as mentioned previously. Other than that, they have no other notable weaknesses. In a fight, a Castanets will swipe at you with its over-sized pincers, in a move known commonly as the 2-Stage Attack. This is because it will swipe at you with one claw, and when you try to evade that attack, it uses its other claw to nail you where you stand. Scissor Spark is another move they commonly use, whereby they generate an electrical pulse and channel it out through their claws to attack some potential prey. These impulses are rather weak, however, and a specimen that can maintain the flow of charge for more than twenty seconds is already considered to be a rarity.

Amateur fighters with a basic command over Fire magic may challenge Castanets in a fight.

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Ceasar (_Metacarcinus Hydromagnus_)

Close relatives of the Castanets, Ceasars are large crabs that can grow to nearly seven feet in length from pincer-tip to pincer-tip. Once, they were commonly found along the coastal area near Midgar, but now, all that remains of this species is a small population in the city sewers. Usually, a mysterious disappearance or murder in the sewers of Midgar is attributed to these creatures, and forensic analysis has occasionally proven this claim to be correct. Some of the poorer folk living under the plate try to catch one of these temperamental specimens once in a blue moon, and the captured Ceasar will usually turn up in a fighting ring with money riding on its victory. As far as I know, a decent specimen can typically outlast every other contender for about three weeks, before it dies of malnutrition and neglect.

Now, they weren't given the species name _Hydromagnus_ for nothing. A healthy Ceasar does not have an excessively hard shell, and would resemble a soft-shelled crab somewhat. But their shells are kept in shape by the immense hydrostatic pressure exerted internally by a rather simple water vascular system, much like that which is seen in Echinoderms (or starfishes, for the less educated readers). Their infamous Bubble attacks are actually done by releasing water from within their bodies, thus forming a stream of bubbles due to a combination of muscular contraction and pressure gradients. If a Ceasar is furious enough, it may actually spray out a continuous stream of water until it drops dead due to dehydration. However, this will rarely happen in their natural environment - even as they fire bubbles at a target, they will continuously drink in more water from the sewer.

Ceasars are weak at physical combat, since their shells are so soft. A hard Bodyblow will probably damage the Ceasar more than it does you, and if you time it right, a good slash could possibly open up the specimen's body as it charges you. Or if you didn't want to dirty your grubby little paws, an Ice spell would actually work quite well – it would freeze the water in the creature's body, and the formed crystals would perforate its exoskeleton from within.

Even rookie fighters could easily down a Ceasar.

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Christopher (_Magnotenor Malodiablos_)

These deadly creatures were named in memory of a long-dead Christian priest who spent his time researching the Sciences rather than focusing on his theological studies. No one knows much about him - not even his name. All that we know today is that he apparently was a hermit-like man who preferred the company of books to people, and that for some reason, the reclusive priest made his way to the Northern Cave one fine day. This would normally have been written off the page of any historical records, save for the fact that his journey there resulted in the first encounter between this species and humankind. Even then, his discovery was not known of until at least twenty years after his trip to the dangerous caverns. All that was found of him was his journal, written on parchment stamped with his monastery's seal. If not for that seal, the group of cave explorers that found said journal would not have even known that it was a priest's in the first place. The unique seal led to the monastery being identified, and the age-worn priest in charge there acknowledged that there had once been one of the monastery's residents who had left and made his way North. As to why, he could not say, and neither could he venture a guess as to how far his former colleague had traveled.

Since I have had the good fortune of actually reading the real manuscript once, I shall include below the dead priest's first descriptions of a Christopher; which also explain the species' very human-like name.

_I have at long last managed to seek refuge - however temporary - from the fearsome beast that is pursuing me within the dark recesses of Gaia's great northern caverns._

_It resembles a human in various aspects, its demonic visage being the only obvious clue towards identifying its sinister nature. Two long horn-like growths emerge from the posterior of its neck, and they seem to merge above its head to form a flat, hood-like structure that it holds in parallel to the earth. But the face... it is the most horrible face I have ever seen on a living creature..._

_The creature's face is partially black and partially white, with small, fiery eyes that strike terror into my soul. My faith is crumbling as I recall the malevolence reflected in those two jewel-like orbs. Beneath those terrifying eyes is a deceptively gentle-looking mouth, out of which it shall create the most damning of music to have ever reached the ears of Man. As it sings, it waves its two, human-like hands in slow motions that make a mockery of the choir master's art._

_The songs... They brought forth feelings of unadulterated sorrow in my heart, and for a moment, I almost saw webs forming on my skin, as if I were being turned into some sort of reptilian being. Even as I tried to flee, it summoned forth bolts of lightning that very nearly struck me dead. It was a miracle that I escaped intact._

_I have to pray that I will somehow survive this ordeal. Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, and I fervently hope that he will lead me back to safety. However... my faith in Saint Christopher grows shaky as I ponder the strange monster's abilities._

_I hear its distant calls... I do not have much time... Saint Christopher, pray for me..._

I'll have you know now that I am an atheist, so none of the above religious mumbo-jumbo makes any practical sense to me (though the dead priest sounded like a terrible holy man by all means). But the terrified priest's descriptions of a Christopher are reasonably accurate, and his account of its combative abilities have been confirmed. I did encounter several Christopher at the Northern Cave when I went there with Lucrecia (just before our exciting encounter with an Armored Golem), and they were certainly formidable fighters. They sang with crystal-clear voices, and one would be inclined to believe that a Christopher was an accomplished opera singer from the beautiful notes that came forth from their perpetually-smiling mouths. However, I noticed that as they sang, Lucrecia and myself were turning slightly greener - a sign of the infamous Frog Song at work. So we gave them a couple of shots with a Fire materia, which didn't make them any happier.

Within minutes, we learned that they could actually induce a temporary state of depression in their victims by alternating between singing high and low notes. This particular attack had already been named several decades earlier, and so we noted that the High/Low Suit indeed was a Sadness-causing move. But we managed to Slow them down somewhat, and a quick Bolt3 spell linked to an All materia was sufficient to eliminate the admittedly unnerving creatures.

It is possible that more has yet to be discovered about this species, since no one has actually lingered around them after they started using their High/Low Suit. Maybe in the future, more information shall be gathered regarding their vocal abilities. Other than those few moves, they haven't been reported to have any elemental traits, which makes them even more difficult to fight.

I would not advise challenging a Christopher at this point of time, since not much is known about the species as a whole, and an accurate assessment of their fighting skills cannot be done.

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Cocatolis (_Dromaius Petrarespirus_)

These large, rare avians are native to the rocky ledges of Mount Corel. Surprisingly agile for creatures their size, Cocatolis are among the most feared of the animals which come into close contact with Corel's mining community. You see, they are lithotrophs to a certain extent, much like a Capparwire is - difference being their dietary preferences. While a Capparwire will happily munch away on copper ore, a Cocatolis will only eat coal and other carbon-based materials. So it is not unusual to see smaller specimens pecking at trees or rocks to have a tiny snack. This inorganic food supply forms part of their natural defense mechanisms (and also their means to have a miner for a meal), which I shall elaborate on as we progress with the species' entry here.

Their name, Cocatolis, is the original word from which the name 'Cockatrice' was derived from. It was partially due to their natural rarity, and also because of their supposedly magical properties that they were mistakenly thought to be legendary creatures. In fact, any stories you hear about a Cocatolis being born from a chicken's eggs that was hatched by a toad are all hogwash. I myself have no idea how such nonsensical myths were circulated, but whoever did it has earned my eternal condemnation. So yes, a Cocatolis is _non-magical_, and hatches from _normal_ eggs.

Now, their combative abilities are mostly physical. Often enough, a Cocatolis will try to use its large Beak on you, or maybe give you two good Bird Kicks. Given that their legs are about five feet long each, with claws capable of gripping solid rock through sheer force, being kicked is considered by most rational beings to be a nasty experience. In fact, one kick would probably shatter a human's ribcage, and the second would send the stupid buffoon off the mountain via a delightful free-fall. However, neither of these attacks are the reason why they were reported as magical beings - that honorific goes to their deceptively named Petrify Smog attack.

A Cocatolis has certain bacteria endemic to its gut, that process carbon-based matter into a mild type of nerve gas when heated by the high temperatures of its digestive tract. When they exhale the cocktail of gases, most living creatures would be paralyzed upon contact with the smoggy substance - which is only smoggy due to the soot that is a part of it. I can imagine that in the old days, the smoky smell coming from a Cocatolis would have been a terrifying experience for the ignorant. Those dunderheads would have thought it was fire and brimstone from hell or something like that, meh. Anyways, the gas merely relaxes the victim's skeletal muscles completely for a while, which makes it perfect for kidnapping if you ask me. It wears off, has no adverse side effects, and makes the target completely compliant (though he or she would be as limp as an old man's penis when subjected to it).

Obviously, Petrify spells wont work on them, since their internal biochemistry already produces the same effect by chemical means.

And of course, seeing Lucrecia slumped on the ground after I gassed her with some of it was rather amusing; blasted woman needed to shut up, and she was getting on my nerves.

Fighters with some experience may challenge a Cocatolis.

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Corvette (_Gymnothorax Torquesectum_)

Distant relatives of the humble Moray Eel, Corvettes are ferocious sea-dwellers that have been the death of many a pearl collector. They differ from typical eels in the sense that their bodies are almost like thirty-foot long totem poles, whereby a thin, central length of muscle has numerous spines protruding out of it. So in some ways, they would resemble a fish's skeleton, but with the ability to rotate said spines independently of each other. Hence, a reasonable description of the species' anatomy can be made by referring to a bottle-brush, albeit with only two rows of bristles. The spines are all razor sharp, and are robust enough to cut through industrial-grade steel alloys when utilized by a hungry Corvette.

When the ShinRa Electric Company was constructing their underwater Mako reactor, the contractors discovered a little too late that they had accidentally disturbed one of the Corvettes' nesting grounds. Millions of Gil of construction equipment were mangled by the angered eels, and about twenty-three workers were mutilated beyond saving before they managed to send down a sonic wave generator to repel the beasts. Even till today, the submerged facility is still surrounded by Corvettes, which makes it pretty much impossible to infiltrate from the outside. A shoal of these things could easily perforate a submarine if they wanted to, and some even make it into the reactor on the odd occasion of several, much to the horror of the workers there.

As one would expect from their scientific name - if you couldn't understand it, why are you reading this manuscript? - their offensive maneuvers are entirely melee-based. Body Blow and Slap are two charging assaults whereby the Corvette which is attacking will propel itself forward with great momentum to ram a target. Given that their skulls are harder than a Junon fisherman's, it shouldn't be surprising that such attacks carry enough force to obliterate anyone stupid enough to get in their way. As for their other attacks, Gash and Spinning Cut are much nastier, since both involve the Corvette flailing its body around in a whip-like motion that fully utilizes the deadly potential of its spiny physique. Gash would be when a Corvette rushes forward and then makes an abrupt U-turn, thus letting its tail swing about for a brutal horizontal slash. Spinning Cut involves a specimen biting onto the tip of its own tail and then rotating its spines rapidly to send the ring-shaped creature at a victim.

Short of being attacked by a paper shredder, I cannot possibly think of any other apparatus that could cut you up as well as a Corvette might.

Moving on with the topic, they are immune to Earth-based magic due to their limited ability to levitate. Stop and Paralyze spells also would not work on them, since their preferred food from the seabed is Loco Weed, the dangerously addictive species of seaweed that stimulates the release of adrenaline into its consumer's bloodstream. In fact, Corvettes are so high-strung that giving them coffee would kill them - their already overworked hearts would go into cardiac arrest upon receiving the caffeine's stimulus. If only I could kill my colleagues with coffee... but I can only dream of such lovely scenes, alas...

Only combatants with some underwater fighting experience can expect to take on a Corvette and survive.

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Crawler (_Terowong Ponderous_)

Crawlers are subterranean, worm-like arthropods that are mildly annoying at the very worst. They look like disembodied, spiny intestines with a tooth-filled maw at one end, and two claw-like appendages flanking their mouth. Much like snakes, they move underground by moving their bodily spines in a wave-like motion, and can attain rather high speeds by doing so. Their putrid-smelling skin is hard to tear, even harder to burn, but easily cut. Crawlers have canniballistic tendencies, and will turn on an injured Crawler if they smell blood. This is a useful method of dealing with them, since merely wounding both enough to draw blood, will set them upon each other in a ravenous frenzy. Often enough, workers at the Mithril Mines encounter Crawlers that have very literally tied themselves into knots by trying to consume their own tails.

However, these disgusting creatures aren't entirely useless. Crawlers are usually bred and released for construction purposes, whereby one of them will be allowed to tunnel into the ground, and create a beautifully-crafted tunnel. The appendages by the sides of their gaping mouths are excellent for tamping down earth, and as they ingest large amounts of soil, they will push aside the excreted product and pat down any soil around them. Crawlers will eat until they literally drop dead, and so it is wise to have a strong towing-rope ready to remove the dead Crawler from the tunnel once it completes its task. Otherwise, you might find yourself in quite a situation - a huge worm weighing eight hundred pounds may be a little hard to move once it gets stuck in a tunnel, methinks. But of course, anyone with a quarter of a brain would know that now, wouldn't they?

If provoked, a Crawler will often swipe (Rather futilely, from my experience) at an attacker with its claws. These claws are liquid-filled, boneless appendages that are merely modified tentacles at best. If you can't sidestep a Crawler's Claws, go and kiss a Marlboro. Older Crawlers, however, pack a little more punch within their swiping attacks, since they would have developed the ability to channel Drain spells out of their claws, and this could be detrimental to their attacker(s).

Their most disgusting, not to mention disturbing, attack is their ability to hurl out their stomach at a victim. Their innards are extremely elastic, and hence they can throw out their stomachs with an extra-hard exhalation. The inside-out stomach will ooze gastric juices, and can be rather irritating to the skin. If they manage to ensnare a target with their extended stomach, they will rapidly reel the stretched organ back into their body, and quick action should be taken to avoid being digested or suffocated (Know this from experience, I do). Normally, a simple Blizzard spell will paralyse the Crawler, which abhors Blizzard spells. Then, one could just crawl out of the limp arthropod's mouth.

But their weakness lies not in Ice, but in Earth. Most Crawlers can actually utilize Cold Breath spells - with varying levels of success - though they usually just chomp down and chow down. Using an Earth-based spell on them would result in their skin literally turning into clay, which can be pretty interesting if you yourself aren't a spineless worm with no balls to even stomach an arthropod's demise. Some say that Crawler-formed clay is the best for statuary, but I wouldn't know better; after all, I am a _Biochemist_, not a sculptor.

Crawlers can be challenged by rookie fighters with some experience.

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Cripshay (_Hippowdon Minimus_)

Among the many species that were nearly driven extinct during the construction of Midgar, Cripshays are related to a more mundane animal - the hippopotamus. However, they detest getting wet, and prefer to inhabit prairies and plains as compared to their relatives' affinity for rivers and ponds. Hence, they were given the Genus name 'Hippowdon', instead of 'Hippopotamus'; suitable, given that the name represents both their relation to the common, dopey-looking hippo and also their prominent teeth. Indeed, the average Cripshay has canine teeth that can reach lengths of eight feet, with their other teeth measuring no less then six inches each. While intimidating, the large size of the teeth makes it difficult for a Cripshay to move, and they will usually wait for any potential prey to come closer instead of going on the offensive.

They were also once prized for the study of Dentistry, since their large teeth were easy to observe and were mostly similar in structure to the teeth of your typical omnivorous mammal. Alas, their declining population has made the only remaining set of preserved Cripshay teeth a priceless treasure. Anyone interested in viewing the samples can do so at the ShinRa Museum of Natural History over at Sector Seven, where they can found next to the Behemoth's skeleton which Lucrecia and I preserved.

So if you do encounter a Cripshay underneath the Plate, it wouldn't be wise to underestimate it due to an apparent lack of aggressive behavior. Most who are stupid or ignorant enough to do so typically end up being gored to death.

Now, I might have mentioned in the introductory paragraph that a Cripshay's mobility is limited due to its over-sized teeth. Most people, however, fail to realize that a Cripshay can easily thrust its entire weight forward and use the aforementioned canines as two very sharp Ramming implements. Alternatively, they could also lift up their heads, and bring down the long teeth onto you with terrific force. In fact, the crushing force of a Cripshay's notorious Dual Spike move was once measured at about eight _thousand_ Newtons! That's as if eight hundred kilograms of solid material was being dropped on you, and even an IDIOT would know how painful that could be.

Evolution was not entirely unfair to this species, though; they have a minor affinity for Fire, and can cast passable Fire spells with reasonable accuracy. So it would be wise not to underestimate a Cripshay which has no teeth, or which has been crippled.

Though they are weak, I wouldn't recommend any rookie fighters to challenge Cripshays.

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Crown Lance (_Celegius Electrospinus_)

Crown Lances are migratory Aerial jellyfishes that inhabit the canopies of large forests. Their migratory patterns are influences by a combination of thunderstorms and Mako, whereby they go to wherever Mako and lightning are present on Gaia's surface in the greatest abundance. Notably, they have been seen at the barren Cosmo Canyon area, as well as the forests surrounding Mount Nibel and Rocket Town. The entire colony of Crown Lances will settle down on the tree canopies, where they will proceed to sit through even the most intense lightning storms. Their bodies are naturally resistant to electricity, much like that of a Battery Cap, which allows them to absorb Lightning-based energy without any ill effects. In fact, they love electricity so much that they will actually use some of their own Bolt spells to draw lightning bolts towards their little groups.

The difference between these jellyfish-like creatures and the mushroom-like Battery Caps lies in the manner by which they deal with any excess electricity that they absorb. Battery Caps channel all excess energy into the ground, but these wondrous creatures merely convert the energy into a kind of luminescence. In fact, it has been reported several times in the past that after furious thunderstorms, groups of Crown Lances resting in the trees actually produced so much of their natural phosphorescence that entire acres of forest would be illuminated like the famous Aurora Borealis. I myself have only witnessed the amazing Crown Lance lights once, and it was indeed beautiful. The bare rocks of Cosmo Canyon were lit up with a bright yet gentle green light, casting towering shadows over the cracked earth and sandy dunes. The spots where the Crown Lances were actually residing were almost blinding to look at - such was the sheer intensity of their Lightning-induced luminescence.

Local folklore at Cosmo Canyon suggests that these fascinating creatures are the spirits of travelers that perished in storms. Hence, their souls returned to light up even the darkest of storms, so that no one who saw their glow would ever get lost. Personally, I find it to be a cute fairy tale, but nothing more than that; anyone who disagrees with that can go and kiss a Marlboro.

Anyways, Crown Lances aren't aggressive at all, and never start fights. They don't need to, simply because they keep so much electricity in their bodies at all times that no predator can safely eat one of them without being electrocuted to death as soon as it touches their capacitor organs. However, they do have the ability to cast some rather weak Bolt spells and Sleepel spells. How they evolved the capability to use Sleepel is unknown, but some Evolutionary Biologists have theorized that before they developed the ability to store the insanely large amounts of energy from lightning bolts, they had to rely on Sleepel spells to drive away predators. Their tentacle nematocysts (spines in the idiot's terms) are also deadly, since a provoked Crown Lance might actually charge them with some high voltage before firing them at an aggressor.

Defense-wise, they are obviously immune to all forms of Earth- and Lightning-based spells. Manipulate and Mystify are also useless, since they do not possess nervous systems complex enough for such spells to work on them. However, Fire-based magic is extremely effective against them, since it decreases their body's natural resistance to electric currents. This would logically cause biological short circuits to occur, and the unfortunate creature would be killed by the very energy which once sustained it. This has led to theories that their bodies contain semiconductors, and anyone who understands basic Physics would understand this, though of course I know better than to set my expectations that low - they should be set even _lower_ to avoid disappointment.

Only experienced fighters should challenge Crown Lances due to their literally electrifying nature.

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Crysales (_Oligochaeta Necrophilius_)

These slow-moving annelids are harmless carrion-eaters native to the areas surrounding Mideel. They have been domesticated for the last three hundred years or so, and their silk is highly-valued for its quality and versatility. It can be spun into threads for sewing, or even be made into ropes that are nearly as good as hemp ropes. To date, the people from Mideel are the only ones who have managed to rear Crysales successfully, and the arts of spinning and weaving the silk are jealously-guarded secrets that they wont divulge. There once was a time when priests only wore habits made of Crysales silk, but since modern synthetic materials are more widely available, this practice has become somewhat obscure.

Despite their rather disgusting eating habits, Crysales are generally quite tidy creatures. Any food that drops onto the ground will be immediately lapped up, and so their pens are always clean, as far as I know. Also, you'll find that they actually don't smell that bad after all; the only smell that lingers about them is a mildly sulphurous smell, usually so mild that it can't be detected by your average human. With regards to their temper, this entire species is totally incapable of violence - even if you walked up to a Crysales and stabbed it in its flank, it would merely try to turn about and flee. As such, a provoked Crysales will be more likely to harm you out of blind luck rather than due to malicious intentions.

These bloated worms have the ability to deliver a nasty Bite, due to their small but sharp teeth. Given that they prefer to munch on rotting carcasses, it obviously would not be wise to let one of them sink its filthy teeth into you. Other than that, a panicked Crysales can also blow copious amounts of Sleep Scales at you, from the large and filamentous antennae it has emerging from its head. Some scientists have questioned the usefulness of these antennae, and as of now, the prevailing theory is that all the Crysales in contact with humans are actually the half-matured forms of a butterfly-like species. Since they have been domesticated for about three centuries as I have mentioned earlier, I find this theory to be unlikely, unless of course the domestication process actually interferes with their maturation.

A Crysales can be safely-challenged by rookie fighters.

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Cuahl (_Panthera Petralevator_)

Large and elusive felines native to the frozen landscapes of Gaea's Cliff, Cuahl are generally docile creatures that would rather flee than fight. I myself have not seen them too often despite having spent most of my younger years on the icy slopes. Hence, I shall only note here what has already been noted by the late famous mountaineer Sir Edward Hillary. He observed that the Cuahls he encountered only used a Light Shell enchantment to dazzle him before following it up with a Blaster shot. When he evaded the attack, they turned tail and fled the scene with rather impressive speed up a sheer cliff face. From there, logical deduction would reveal that Cuahls have a set of sharp and durable claws - otherwise, they wouldn't be able to run up vertical surfaces made of ice now, would they? If you couldn't understand that simple sentence, I am speechless.

Efforts to tag them with radio collars have failed, since the high humidity in the area's air makes any circuitry go amok. So looks like for now, the Cuahls will be keeping their secrets from us.

* * *

**D**

Dark Dragon (_Naga Tyrannoir_)

Yet another one of the deadly species native to the Northern Crater, Dark Dragons are among the rarest of the Crater's inhabitants. Despite their rather small size, Dark Dragons are powerful enough to rip you a new one, and I myself have witnessed one tearing through a rock formation as though the solid stone was nothing more than wet toilet paper. Now, by 'small' size, I am referring to the standard size of a dragon, so they are still about twenty feet in length, and maybe five feet wide at the shoulder. Due to the cavern-like nature of the Northern Crater, their wings have degenerated to a certain extent, and are probably useless for purposes related to flight. However, their claws and teeth are still as sharp as ever, and their scales are strong enough to resist strikes from most standard swords.

Now, part of the reason why Dark Dragons are so rare is their apparent low birth rate. This theory was proven by the great Biologist Dr. Ernst Buter, who actually tracked one down to its nest, and saw that only one egg sat in the center of said nest. No remnants of eggshells were in sight, and the nest was shared by two specimens. Hence, he proposed the idea that members of this species actually mate for life, and have very few offspring. Given how dangerous it is to live in the Northern Crater, it is only reasonable that most of the young dragons would not survive to maturity. The other reasons for their rarity include the fact that few people venture down to the actual bottom of the crater, where they are theorized to be more common. After all, they abhor bright lights, and the crater's bottom is about as dark as the bottomless pit called President ShinRa's stomach.

When fighting a Dark Dragon - something I do not recommend, but will still discuss for the sake of those stupid fools out there - do not bother with melee attacks. Immediately go for Bolt3 spells, since they are weak against Lightning-based magic. If the Dark Dragon does not go down after a good Bolt3 spell has hit it, you are either a lousy mage, or the specimen is a tough one; either way, you'll be dead in five minutes. They do have the spell called Dragon Force to counter this move, however, and with each successive usage, their resistance to both magical attacks and electricity increases proportionately.

Offensively, they are more than capable of dispatching useless morons into the afterlife (if it indeed exists). Mainly, they will use Claw and Bite attacks to go for a quick kill, but sometimes the odd Ultima spell or Laser attack will find its way into their repertoire of offensive moves. Ultima spells in the Northern Crater are especially dangerous, since they can cause terrible cave-ins and rock slides, and their Lasers, while not as powerful as those of an Armored Golem, are still potent enough to destroy solid rock. Other than that, Dark Dragons are also dangerous for their very breaths; if they so choose to, they can actually exhale a type of gas that temporarily blinds.

I do not recommend challenging Dark Dragons.

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Death Claw (_Brachiosinis Malodiablos_)

Found only in the parched desert surrounding Corel's penal colony, Death Claws are somewhat formidable combatants. In fact, they were the reason why the Corel Desert Prison was built in its present location. Normally, Death Claws are ambush hunters that hide in the sand dunes around the prison, waiting for some stupid sucker to come along and get eaten. They merely lie flat on their backs, and let the desert winds blow sand all over them until no part of their anatomy is visible above the baked and parched sands. As soon as they feel something treading on the sand above them, they will launch themselves out of the ground, and use their eight sharp arms to try and impale the target creature. This is a very impressive attack, since a Death Claw is strong enough to actually crumple a tank if it thought the tank was edible.

So, inmates at the Corel Desert Prison will be told upon arrival that the prison has only one true guard - the desert around it. And this is true, since the engineers who surveyed the land actually chose the most hellish location they could find for the prison. Just so you ignorant klutzes get the image, I shall describe the prison's location to you right now.

The Corel Desert Prison is situated smack in the middle of the desert, with at least fifty miles of hot sand between it and any form of water. In fact, the prison itself was built over the desert's only oasis, to deny possible escapees the chance of getting any water. It was built as low to the ground as possible, to minimize damage from sandstorms, and the buildings are all a dull shade of beige from being exposed to the desert's harsh nature. Prisoners who are being made an example of usually are chained to stakes in the open desert and left to die, either from dehydration or due to the ferocity of a sandstorm. Add in the desert's numerous inhabitants, and you have a nasty set of anti-escape measures built into the very land on which the facility was built.

Anyway, a death Claw is not entirely offensive in a fight, since they all know how to use barrier and MBarrier spells to deflect basic attacks. As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, they like to attack using their Claws, and even at range they can be a menace; a limited ability to use Laser attacks makes sure of that. Sometimes, being struck by their Claws can cause a state of paralysis, since they do possess some glands on their skin that can produce trace amounts of paralytic chemical agents. Hence, people fighting Death Claws should stick to using magical attacks against them, to minimize the odds of being decimated by a swipe from those deadly Claws.

Moderately experienced fighters may challenge a Death Claw and expect to survive.

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Death Dealer (_Homo Thanatoroulette_)

Death Dealers are probably the creepiest of the creatures endemic to the Northern Crater. I say this simply because they are actually humanoid to a certain extent, though their curiously absent facial expressions let the cat out of the bag pretty fast. Decked out in the gaudy maroon robes of an ancient magician of sorts, they always have a deck of cards in one hand, and a magnetic compass in the other hand. The compass needle will always spin, sometimes even reversing its direction, and the cards can be observed occasionally shuffling themselves. In all honesty, Death Dealers are exactly what their name says they are; merchants of Death.

The deck of cards they wield in battle are none other than a deck of Tarot cards, and the occultist HP Lovecraft noted that his deck of Tarot cards was actually taken from the hands of a defeated Death Dealer, right before the entire organism dissolved into dust. In a fight, Death Dealers just use four cards; The Emperor, The Star, The Sun, and The World. These four cards will cast the following spells respectively; Cure3, Blaster, Silence or Darkness, and Stop. It is notable, however, that The Emperor is rather useless since Death Dealers are resistant to curative magic, and that The Sun casts two spells simultaneously (Silence and Darkness).

Now, the means by which they cast Death spells is the compass which they hold. When they want to cast a Death spell, they will let go of the compass, and the blasted thing will start rotating in mid-air, as if it was trying to orient itself on a set of bearings. Whoever the needle points at when it stops spinning will be struck dead within seconds, and this one Roulette attack _never misses_. Other than that, a Death Dealer might cast Fire spells using its deck of Tarot cards, or maybe even fling its compass at a target. DO NOT touch their compass - it was HP Lovecraft who recorded in his journals that touching it will cause you to be charred into cinders where you stand.

When you couple their deadly attacks and magical resistance, you can be assured that you are in for one HELL of a fight.

What makes them so creepy is not just their vacant facial expressions, but also their ability to... generate fear. When Lucrecia and I encountered one of them during our trip to the Northern Crater, we experienced for ourselves the horror brought about by these vile creatures. Every little bit of fear that we had felt in our lives was recalled as soon as we met its deceptively blank gaze, and the intensity of the fear was magnified many times over. Merely being in the creature's presence during the fight was nothing short of being subjected to _absolute terror_.

Anyone with any vestiges of intelligence would not confront one of these things. If you see one approaching, RUN.

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Deenglow (_Naga Langsuyar_)

For a reason not known to modern scientists, these ghostly dragons are only found in the Train Graveyard near the Sector Seven Slums. Here, it should be noted that Deenglows are not entirely living creatures, and almost have some rather bewildering properties. For instance, they have the ability to pass through cracks and tiny holes, which sometimes gives rise to the claim that they can pass through solid walls. Due to all these strange observations, some of Midgar's older folk have likened this species to the Jibakurei, a mythical spirit which is apparently bound to one place for eternity. Personally, I find this explanation to be reasonable as an analogy, but utterly asinine as a scientific theory; obviously, the dunces who started the Jibakurei rumors have never heard of the term 'habitat'.

Anyways, Deenglows are immune to no less than four of the eight magical elements; Earth, Ice, Water, and Gravity. The immunity to Earth-based magic is easily explained by their Aerial nature, but the other three immunities are significantly harder to dismiss as being caused by a correlation between magic and physiology. My personal theories for the three other elemental immunities - as presented at the Midgar Zoological Conference last month - propose that the body of a Deenglow is charged with energy derived from the Mako that once powered the damaged trains of the graveyard. Thus, their bodies would, to a certain extent, possess gaseous properties and also serve as a water-repelling substance. This is simply because Mako turns substances it is exposed to into _more_ Mako over time, if you didn't know that already (something I find uncomfortably probable). Hence, a Deenglow might actually be a Mako mutation of sorts, that has already crossed the lined towards being partially gaseous and incapable of mixing with water.

Much like other Aerial beasts, Deenglows harbor a weakness for Wind spells of sufficient strength. Some hunters have reported that Deenglows being tossed about by a Twister spell sometimes appear to temporarily blur as if they were being dissociated by the windy assault, and it was based on those observations that I shaped my theory of their partial solidity. If only my colleagues weren't so close-minded, they would see that the hunters' tales have been noted several times too many for them to be totally discounted as imaginary... Those _IDIOTS!_

In a fight, Deenglows are rather weak, since they can only use some underpowered Ice and Demi spells. As for the melee aspect of their combative skills, all they do is take the occasional swipe at you using their Tail Slash moves. All in all, there is nothing of great importance that you should know about Deenglows before fighting them save for their surprisingly varied range of magical immunities.

Rookie fighters could easily challenge Deenglows and win.

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Desert Sahagin (_Chelonia Lancer Pasiris_)

See the entry on Sahagins for the details on this species - the only differences are the preference for water, the Desert Sahagin's weakness against Ice, and the fact that Desert Sahagins have two attacks (Harpoon and Sand Gun) as compared to the Sahagin's lone attack (Water Gun).

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Diablo (_Naga Bufferthermos_)

Large, purple-colored dragons endemic to the Ancient Forest, Diablos are rather tough animals that absolutely detest changes in temperature. This is partially caused by their evolution in the approximately constant temperatures of the Ancient Forest, and the rest of it is due to the fact that many mages have fought the species through the ages. Hence, they developed a means to equalize temperature to any desired range, by casting two opposing spells in careful order. Mysterious disappearances in the forest have been blamed on this species, though the workers living there have never actually reported any show of violence for the dragons' part. So I suspect Old Fatass ShinRa is up to no good again, though as to _what_ he is after, I cannot say...

About their physiology, it is extremely delicate with regards to temperature. Being exposed for more than two minutes to extremes of hot or cold will easily cause a Diablo to die, and so in winter, it is not uncommon to see them grouping up in small herds to keep the temperature up. From there, it becomes easy to track their movements; just look for areas where perfectly round areas of snow have been melted away.

So, a Diablo can cast Flame and Cold spells, depending on what stimulus is receives. If you lower the temperature around it, it will respond with a Flame spell, and vice-versa. However, they never actually generate enough fire to set anything aflame; they merely want to raise the heat of their surroundings to a more comfortable level. Likewise, their Cold spells are often insufficient to even freeze water, since they just need to chill the air a bit. But their Horn Bomber attacks are another story - any fool who stands in the way of a Horn Bomber is in for a painful and possibly fatal experience. You see, Horn Bomber involves the Diablo flying up into the air and rapidly firing energy blasts at you from its horns. These blasts can easily render a _tree_ into splinters, what more an idiot's overfed body.

Only experienced fighters should challenge Diablos due to their tendency to panic and start Horn Bombing targets.

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Diver Nest (_Plesiobatis Hydrodiabolos_)

Named 'Demon of the waters' in Ancient Greek, as is partially evident from their scientific names, Diver Nests are among the largest - definitely longest, though - stingrays to ever swim in Gaia's oceans. Indeed, though their wingspans may only be about twenty feet across, they possess sufficient magical and physical strength to easily take anything in their paths down. In fact, they are so territorial that as they move about for their underwater migrations, even Corvettes will clear a path for them. If my memory serves me right, the only parts of Gaia's oceans that Diver Nests deliberately avoid are those which have been colonized by the four species of Unknown (see section on the Unknowns at the letter U if that wasn't obvious enough).

Now, why are they called Diver Nests? It is simply because their ventral surfaces - stomachs or bellies for the ignorant - contain pouches where large clumps of seaweed often grow, and where smaller sea-dwellers make their nests. This is in actual fact the perfect example of a symbiotic relationship of between_ three_ organisms; the Diver Nest may eat either of its 'passengers' and its scraps are dealt with by the bottom-feeders and seaweed that thrive in its pouch, the bottom-feeders are protected by the Diver nest in addition to eating its scraps and are also fed by the seaweed, the seaweed thrives on the Diver Nest's scraps while being spread over the entire globe as the the large being makes its never ending journey all over the oceans and is also pruned periodically by the bottom-feeders. That might be a little hard to visualize, but to anyone with reasonable intelligence, it shouldn't be too hard.

Sometimes, oysters are found to be growing on the skin of a Diver Nest, and the pearls from these particular oysters are said to be exquisite despite their large sizes. Obviously, if they are guarded by such a ferocious beast, no one would be harvesting them until the Diver Nest itself is too old to properly defend itself - given that their lifespans may easily reach two centuries, the pearls have plenty of time to shape themselves into beautiful creations.

As I mentioned earlier, even those foul-tempered Corvette eels will scoot when they see a Diver Nest coming closer. This was first observed at ShinRa's underwater Mako reactor, and the workers there often beg for shore leave whenever Diver Nest season comes around. Personally, it's all a ridiculous state of affairs... didn't _anyone_ carry out an environmental survey _before_ they planned the construction of the reactor? It was even more unfortunate that the construction was finished right before the Diver Nest season started; a school of them rampaging through the equipment would have literally sunk the entire project. Abundant Mako supply or not, I doubt the reactor will ever pay for itself simply due to the continuous damage caused by the sea creatures whose habitats were disturbed by its construction.

Since they possess a measure of Aerial magic that even allows them to seize control of minor water currents, Diver Nests are immune to Earth-based spells. They do venture up onto land sometimes, and their entire body save for the forty-foot long tail will be totally airborne, which only goes to show that their theoretical dual nature as a Water/Aerial being is very likely indeed. So yes, they will not be affected by your Earthquake spells, and they might drown you as you futilely (and stupidly) try to down them in the foolish manner as described previously.

Now, I said once somewhere before this that they can manipulate water currents to a certain extent. This is in fact the key to all of their magical abilities, as is evident from their Big Wave and Tornado Wave attacks. Sometimes, they couple the Wave attacks with a Bodyblow, and this can be a very dangerous combination since the entire length of a Diver Nest's forty-foot tail would be lined with innumerable hair-like stingers rather than a single, large stinger as is the case with most normal stingrays. What's worse is when the stingers break off the tail and embed themselves into a victim's flesh where they will continue to discharge a noxious venom.

No one save for experts in underwater combat should even dream of confronting a Diver's Nest, let alone several of them.

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Doorbull (_Centaru Carapar_)

Centaur-like creatures with two heads, Doorbulls are almost exactly what their names suggest they are - doorkeepers. They are only found in the Temple of the Ancients, where they will brutally attack anyone foolish enough to trespass with malicious intentions. Well, the malicious intentions bit was exaggerated; they aren't telepathic, so they'll just go apeshit on whoever crosses the temple's walls under their watch. Mostly, you'd be attacked by Ancient Dragons instead of Doorbulls, since the latter are considerably lazier than their reptilian colleagues of sorts.

As for their combative skills, Doorbulls will often use Claw and Fang moves, the former being particularly nasty since they have two heads. Magically, they will cast Fire Shells at you and sometimes also Light Shells. The magical attacks are used mainly as distractions, before they charge in and grapple with you - those buff biceps aren't just for show, you know. However, if you can actually tell them that you have no negative reasons for entering the temple grounds, they will merely follow you around and even act as guides of sorts. They might not speak any human languages, but they are handy for pointing out possible traps and the odd 8-Eyes that might be lingering round a corner up ahead.

With regards to defensive abilities, Doorbulls are immune to Gravity spells and Manipulate. Their single-minded nature when provoked generally is too focused for the Manipulate spell to work on, and since their bodies already sit so low above the ground, Gravity merely slows them down a little instead of flattening them against the earth. If you need to outrun a Doorbull, then maybe Gravity spells would help, even if it's only for three seconds.

Nothing much more about this species, save for the fact that only experienced fighters should bother challenging them.

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Dorky Face (_Ectoplasma Ittanmomen_)

When they first built the ShinRa mansion at Nibelheim, the workers complained about ghosts haunting the mansion, and this was easily dismissed as local mumbo-jumbo. Then when the place was furnished, ALL the curtains and carpets vanished overnight. Heck, even bedspreads and tablecloths weren't spared; every scrap of cloth in the mansion disappeared. Within three days, swarms of these creatures had appeared, all 'clothed' in the stolen cloth. Due to the goofy - but quite sinister - smiles on their literally tailored faces, they were called Dorky Faces, and the name stuck. Within a month, they were officially recognized as a new species of ghost, and the inhabitants of the mansion had learned to fear them. Since then, no cloth has been brought into the mansion for fear of them multiplying; all drapes and sheets there are now made of polyester and other synthetic materials.

After they caught one, I finally had a specimen Dorky Face to dissect. I tried to expose it to sandalwood fumes; the standard test for any ghost species. The thing reacted with such violent vigor that I immediately had no doubts as to its ghostly nature, and so its taxonomical classification was settled. But upon catching it and cutting it open, I found nothing inside the layers of cloth save for a small, flat stone with a face etched into it, the markings indicating that the work had probably been done with another stone. Somehow, the face on that little stone seemed to be mocking me, though of course I was not affected significantly by the tiny thing. Till today, the stone sits on my desk, where it never fails to unnerve visitors; at least that one Dorky Face has made itself useful in discouraging unnecessary visits to my laboratory.

So, their immunity to Earth-based magic is obvious, since they float about the mansion all the time. But how they attack is the fascinating bit - I actually made a two day trip to the mansion to fight a few of them. To say the least, their combative style is dangerously effective in an unorthodox way. Primarily, they discharge copious volumes of a strange gas, and this attack is known to the workers there as Funny Breath. The gas smells rather fittingly like old mothballs, and it causes severe hallucinations and disorientation if inhaled. I, of course, had a gas mask on, and the only person affected by the gas was the hapless worker who accompanied me to the attic where these ghosts were congregating. Other than that, they also use a spell called 'Curse', whereby they let out a piercing shriek that Silences any listeners. I was unfortunate enough to have not worn earplugs, but my dart gun was handy in subduing the specimens circling me. Finally, they will resort to spinning around rapidly and flying towards you in an attempt to cut you. Indeed, the Cutter attack was impressive, even more so when you considered that this cloth-made being sliced through a plywood sheet as though it were made of paper. Further experiments conducted to test the strength of a Dorky Face's Cutter revealed that they could even cut through steel if provoked enough.

Until today, we still do not know what spurred their creation. They are not found in the caves beneath the mansion's foundations, and none of the Nibelheim folk have ever seen one in the wild. Maybe it was a spontaneous mutation, maybe it wasn't. All we know is that it looks like they're here to stay, and that the Nibelheim villagers have stopped hanging out laundry overnight since the Dorky Face population suddenly increased.

Only experienced fighters can challenge a Dorky Face and survive, since the effects caused by their Funny Breath can be... terrible.

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Dragon (_Naga Naga_)

The boring, generic Dragon is close to extinction on Gaia, since development of civilization and mutated life forms has displaced them from their traditional spot on the food chain. While historical records indicate their populations were once large, all that is left of the species now inhabits Mount Nibel and its cavern networks. Some poaching also helped to whittle down their numbers, because Dragon skin is both pliable and fireproof. Hence, all kinds of battle armor was made out of Dragon skin in the olden days, and of course, their larger, stronger cousins were just too deadly to be hunted down frequently.

As the stories go, Dragons can breathe fire and are fond of hoarding treasure. Well, both of these claims are true, and it is to my great relief that I have finally found a fairy tale which _makes sense!_ So, Dragons in the old days were often treasure raiders, attacking in packs and torching anyone who stood in their way. It was because of all this that the sanctioned killing of Dragons began, and this was yet another contributing factor to the decline of their global populations. Their treasures were well-hidden, though; some of the stolen artifacts have not been recovered until today, and it is estimated that the nett worth of these hidden treasures would easily cause the economy to shake and tremble mightily if they suddenly were rediscovered.

Offensively, Dragons use Dragon Fang attacks and Flame Thrower spells to deal out the pain. Dragon Fangs are nasty if they hit, and Flame Thrower actually involves the Dragon spitting a fireball into its claw and flinging the burning orb at a victim. Sometimes, they can also fire the Flame Thrower directly at a target, which can be deadly if they are quick about it. That's pretty much it for the offensive capabilities of a Dragon, aside from the boring physical attacks like tail swings and stomping.

Defensively, they are immune to Fire and Gravity spells. While Earth-based magic affects them readily, Gravity spells are easily deflected off their tough scales, so you might want to be cautious about casting Gravity at them in confined spaces. You might make a pancake out of your stupid self, so just take note of that and we can move on to the Dragon Rider, a species that is NOT so boring as this one.

These boring beasts can be taken on by experienced fighters due to their sheer ferocity.

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Dragon Rider (_Naga Nazgul_)

Now, this creature is a sinister Aerial dragon from the Northern Crater's Whirlwind Maze. With wings strong enough to even fly against the powerful gales sweeping across the deep chasms of the Maze, Dragon Riders also possess enough strength to rend anyone in their path into ribbons if they so wished to. What makes their flying skills even more impressive is the fact that their wings are smooth enough to allow them completely silent flight, much like an that of an owl. The only noise they ever make as they fly is a deafening shriek that marks their moving in for the kill, and often enough, explorers who actually were smart and strong enough to make it to the Whirlwind Maze have met their end at the claws and fangs of a Dragon Rider. As if to impress anyone who came looking for the dead explorers, the Dragon Riders actually rip the heads off the victims, and pick through the remains until all that is left is the baggage they were carrying. Indeed, when Lucrecia and I went down to the Whirlwind Maze, we saw that the numerous cliffs and rock formations where the Dragon Riders hid were actually decorated with many items of clothing and also several haversacks.

Dragon Riders are not actually two separate beings; the 'rider' is part of the Dragon. This is surprising to most who hear of it, and the 'rider' actually contains its own heart, brain, and other vital organ systems save for a digestive system - it receives nutrition from the dragon's digestive system. However, their minds are linked with dense bundles of neural tissue that are visible as dark stripes between them. These dense interconnections allow them to think as one, and hence their attacks can be surprisingly well-planned if there is no internal conflict between the two brains. The 'rider' has two arms and two legs, though it is conjoined to the dragon at the region between its legs where a human's external genitalia would be. One of its arms is also shaped rather like a long, lance-like blade. It is indeed baffling as to how evolution came up with such a creature, though there are several interesting theories as to how they came to be as they are today.

Since I am sadly aware that most of this manuscript's readers would be ignorant doofuses, I shall not go into those theories here for fear that I shall end up wasting my time and ink.

Somehow, the 'rider' has developed into a disturbingly accurate doppelganger of the human body, and so some explorers have actually made the mistake of thinking that they were being approached by a human. Needless to say, that mistake was often enough their last, save for one considerably competent explorer named JRR Tolkien.

Tolkien was so awed by the Dragon Rider's unique physique that once he had returned to civilization to focus on the writing of his epic saga 'The Lord of the Rings', he created a fictitious group of beings called the Nazgul solely in honor of this species. Much like their real-life namesakes, Tolkien's Nazgul were ruthless killers that swooped in for the kill with a deadly silence, only making their terrible shrieks heard once it was too late for a victim to escape. So when a scientific name for the Dragon Riders was proposed, it was unanimously agreed that _Nazgul_ was an ideal name for their species. Apparently, that was one of the few instances in scientific history when all of Gaia's scientific community agreed on something.

When attacking, a Dragon Rider relies almost completely on melee maneuvers. Since they rarely use magic, I shall just note here that their Rider Breath spells are actually powerful magical barrages in the form of forceful exhalations. As for their physical moves, Fang attacks would be the most common, since it is after all a dragon, and as such has an appetite for blood. Other than that, it also has two rather similar attacks called Head Hunting 1 and Head Hunting 2. Both of these attacks involve the dragon flying up to a victim and ripping off the poor sucker's head. Why two attacks, one might ask? Well, Head Hunting 1 involves the dragon using its claws to tear its prey's head off, whereas Head Hunting 2 involves the 'rider' using its blade-like arm to sever the target's head. A Dragon Rider also uses a move called Dual Attack, which involves it staying in the air as it claws or snaps at a victim, while the 'rider' simultaneously jabs and slashes at the same target. This is regarded as being the equivalent of combining both Head Hunting attacks, and when I was pinned beneath a Dragon Rider using this move and evading hits left right center, that silly woman Lucrecia was standing to the side in shock, the stupid bitch!

Fortunately, I cast a Twister spell into the creature's stomach, which sent it flying backwards in shock until it got impaled on a rocky spire. I used Twister because they were noted to have weaknesses against Wind spells of high power by Carolus Linnaeus, and that they were fully immune to Earth, Gravity, and Water spells. Lucrecia got a proper, vulgar dressing down after that, and she was tasked with crossing a thirty-three foot chasm over to the deceased specimen and taking some samples for me. If that isn't a reasonable price to pay for nearly getting your boss killed, I don't know what is.

Admittedly, the make-up sex was good, but meh; sex isn't everything.

Dragon Riders should only be confronted by highly experienced fighters.

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Dragon Zombie (_Naga Necronus_)

These Undead Dragons wander about the convoluted caverns of the Northern Crater, where they prey on anything moving that crosses their path. Upon closer observation, one would notice that they are little more than re-animated bodies of rotting flesh, disintegrating skin, and cracked bones that remain functional due to powerful natural magic that hold the various parts together. It is said that the creation of these Undead monstrosities and the other zombie monsters that wander about Gaia was caused by the ancient impact of the meteor upon the planet's Northern regions, which created a disruption in the Lifestream that caused some deceased creatures to be reanimated.

Of the Northern Crater's residents, Dragon Zombies are probably the deadliest, though they fall short of being as terrifying as the Death Dealer. This is because Holy spells and even curative magic can be used to severely damage a Dragon Zombie, but the Death Dealers have no weaknesses whatsoever. So when Lucrecia and I encountered one of these fickle beasties, we merely tore through it with some minor difficulty, since our earlier confrontation with a Death Dealer had been most definitely more intimidating.

For a _dead_ creature, they can be considerably hard to fight. Dragon Zombies often exhale great gusts of fetid air at their victims, which can be toxic depending on the level to which the creature has decomposed. They can also cast powerful Shadow Flare spells, which are deadlier than normal Flares because their spells can be cast at maximum power, without affecting them with the physical damage spellcasters usually suffer when casting an overpowered spell. Their decaying bodies will merely be singed by the Flare effect , and remain fully functional. Dragon Zombies have also been known to charge at, and strike their victims physically with their Body Tail moves. They rarely do this, however, since their decaying bodies will be eventually damaged by too many hard collisions. In addition to that, they also can use Poison Fang to poison you beyond healing, or maybe use a sharp Bone to Paralyze you. Their penultimate attack is known as Pandora's Box, and no living person has seen it being used more than once. What it does is basically bring forth every bit of hopelessness you have ever felt, to try and tear you down mentally as the Dragon Zombie gains ground on you.

Dragon Zombies should only be challenged by highly-experienced fighters.

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Dual Horn (_Hippowdown Ceravastus_)

Dual Horns are arguably the deadliest of species within the Genus _Hippowdon_. While Cripshays are weak and incapable of quick movements, and Edgeheads have deadly electrical abilities, Dual Horns have sheer physical power and the quick mobility needed to use it dangerously. the discoverers of Goblin Island were promptly dealt with by one of these creatures, and since then, the island has been declared off-limits to the general populace of Gaia by international treaties. This is simply because Dual Horns are so fierce and tough that all Hell would be let loose if a single specimen were to be let loose in any city. In fact, the only reason why Dual Horns have not been crossing over to the mainland is due to their hatred for water. Much like their relatives in the same Genus, Dual Horns dread getting wet, and so they have not attempted to swim over.

I was given clearance to import a single specimen back to Midgar for experimentation, and I did just that. It was tough to take down, it was - almost three liters of potent neurotoxins failed to even slow down the creature, and it was only when I actually poisoned it with a Bio3 spell that the Dual Horn went down. Its enclosure - a concrete pit - was on the verge of total demolition when I ended its misery, and had it managed to escape, things would have been rather nasty with the management, methinks. Imagine this; concrete walls fifteen feet thick were gouged until they were almost paper thin by the Dual Horn using pure force!

I've never fought one in actual combat, but one would presume that they could be tough customers even for an experienced fighter.

* * *

**E**

Edgehead (_Hippowdon Elekuligel_)

Close relatives of the Cripshay, Edgeheads were utilized by the Wutaians to defend their nation during the Great War with Wutai. Their oversized canine teeth have a high aluminum content, and this allows them to serve as conductors for electrical discharge from their internal capacitor organs. In addition to that, their jaw muscles are significantly stronger and more developed, allowing them to move both of the large fangs independently of one another. Normally, the Wutaians use them as generator beasts if a local electrical grid fails, but otherwise, they are pretty much limited to being domesticated as beasts of burden that can defend themselves against drunken cow-tippers and other predators.

The Wutaian strategy was really quite elegant in its simplicity. All they did was bury several powerful cables all around the capital, and then let ShinRa's troops come to them. When the troops were directly over the cables, they switched on the current, and made sure it was powerful enough to attract the Edgeheads' attention. The resulting stampede - complete with excited electrical discharges from the excited creatures - decimated nearly half of the ShinRa troops, before an Aqualung attack from some trooper with an Enemy Skill materia put a stop to the rampage. That move was smart, but it also caused quite a number of troops to be electrocuted by the buried cables. Eventually, they gave up on an infantry approach and aerially bombarded one of the Wutaian provinces into rubble, which scared the Wutaians enough to make them surrender.

Much like the Cripshay, Edgeheads detest water. Unlike their weaker cousins, however, they_ can_ short circuit if exposed to too much moisture, since their capacitor organs are indeed developed enough to churn out a continuous supply of voltage. In addition to that, they also exhibit behavior similar to that of the Crown Lance, whereby they will gather in areas where electrical discharge is abundant - though of course they cannot sit in the rain, you _moron_.

So, Edgeheads are obviously immune to Lightning-based spells, and their Electric Burst attack should be a dead giveaway if you were stupid enough to not know that. Here, I'm not talking about some pussy sparks; I'm talking about a full-blown arc of lightning being channeled out of their teeth like a Tesla coil would. This can be nasty when used in combination with their Scissors move, where they clamp down on a target using both canines. I guess you can do the math when it comes to that, no? And it's not easy to take one down, since their hides are thick enough to even repel shotgun rounds fired at point-blank range. Now you would know why the Wutaians let them loose - it was like having a solid brick wall running at you and firing lightning bolts along the way.

Only experienced fighters can safely challenge an Edgehead due to its formidable natural defenses.

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Elfadunk (_Mammuthus Loksui_)

Elfadunks are the only surviving species of mammoth on Gaia, and they are often found in grassy areas as opposed to their furry relatives' preference for wintry climates. First domesticated by the farmers at Nibelheim, Elfadunks are docile creatures that just want to play in the water all day long. In this respect, they have been compared to the hippopotamus, since they even possess a specific gravity that allows them to walk along river beds and lake bottoms. This means that the ratio of their body's density to the density of water is such that they can actually run on a river bed if they so wished to, while not losing their ability to swim or float. If you can't comprehend that, stop reading this manuscript and read a Physics textbook.

Their fur is the only thing keeping them classified as mammoths, just so you know.

Now, Elfadunks are not more than eight meters long, and never grow taller than five meters (which makes them dwarf mammoths, in a sense). So they often just sit submerged in water, where they feast on aquatic plants or root around in the mud to find hidden goodies like catfish in their burrows. Their instinct for locating catfish is so good that noodling competitions are often located where Elfadunks are present at that point of time - watching the competitors trying to fight off angry Elfadunks while noodling for catfish merely adds to the fun of it all. In fact, the funniest incident involving Elfadunks attacking noodlers at a contest involved one of the participants Manipulating the enraged Elfadunk herd into assaulting the other contestants; needless to say, the poor chap was disqualified.

Until today, President ShinRa has yet to live that episode down, hah!

In combat, these poor things are hardly competent. They might dish out a few half-hearted Bodyblows, but mostly they will suck gallons of water up with their trunks, and then fire the water out in a pretty little Shower move. Nibelheim's farmers used this attack to water their crops, which only goes to show how weak the water pressure is when you piss an Elfadunk off. But as any idiot can tell you, an Elfadunk's Bodyblows will be deadly regardless of how enthusiastic the specimen was when doing it.

Rookie fighters may easily tackle Elfadunks.

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Epiolnis (_Dromaius Hookerii_)

Native to the Ancient Forest, Epiolnis are scrawny, flightless birds that can put up an interesting fight if provoked. Another interesting feature of their physiology is that the body parts will ALWAYS reassemble themselves into their original form even if the bird is dismembered. So as long as you don't sever the bird's neck, you could actually pull on it for several meters before it elastically snaps back into shape. Therefore, it should come as not surprise that their scientific name is 'Hookerii'. The name commemorates Robert Hooke's law of elasticity, and in fact, he did write a paper on the elastic properties of Epiolnis tissues once he had finished with his work on the elasticity of springs and strings.

How does the dismemberment not kill them, one might ask? For this one instant, I shall forgive pleas of ignorance, since I myself find it difficult to mentally grasp the concepts involved. The simplified version just goes like this - an Epiolnis is not a single organism. That's right; it is actually a group of millions of minute organisms that somehow decided to form themselves into the shape of a land-bound avian. The shape does have its advantages, though; an Epiolnis may run at at up sixty miles and hour, and can easily leap up to eight meters upwards, or twenty-four meters forward. Dr. Mammon Hoole, of anthropological fame, discovered this after he tried to dissect one out of curiosity, and found that there were not entrails of any kind, nor was there a skeleton.

So unless you actually destroy its individual sub-organisms, an Epiolnis can keep reforming itself no matter how many times you slice it up. Of course, if you scare them enough, they'll retreat, so maybe just waft the scent of a Diablo down towards it - they do fear Diablos for some reason, though no actual consumption of Epiolnis by Diablos occurs to my knowledge.

Alas, before the truth of their deceptive physiology was discovered, their primary attack was named Bird Kick. Not too inaccurate given the circumstances, but still... I most definitely HATE inaccurate labels, pah! Moving on, they do occasionally fire stone and rock projectiles by using their elastic necks as a slingshot of sorts. Their deadliest but least used attack, though, is Acid Rain. This happens when the Epiolnis practically begins to fire bursts of acidic fluid out of its body. Given that its entire body is a multitude of organisms operating by means of complex chemical signaling, an Epiolnis that starts to use Acid Rain will probably send enough acid at you to reduce you into a pile of sizzling slime.

Today, some prominent Zoologists are working on isolating the tiny organisms that make up an Epiolnis. As far as I know, they have not met with much success since their subjects keep on committing suicide in the laboratories where they are confined - even more astounding! An organism that is capable of suicide is indeed worthy of study, and I sincerely wish those scientists the best of luck in their endeavor (which is possibly futile, but I shall be objective about it).

Only experienced fighters should challenge Epiolnis because they are simply too different compared to basic beasts.

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Evilhead (_Desmodus Vastus_)

This species is the largest of Gaia's vampire bats, with a four-foot wingspan. For some reason, they are bright yellow in color despite being endemic to Gaea's Cliff, where they rely on the warm blood of prey to stay comfortable. Capable of draining up to eight liters of blood and other bodily fluids out of an organism in one sitting (flying?), Evilheads are most definitely to be respected. When no blood is available, they often fly towards the village up on the glacier for some quick drinks - and I mean human drinks. Of late, they have been becoming rarer as people have actually started to hunt them down and fry them using Fire materia or freeze them with Ice-based magic.

Biologically, they aren't too different from normal vampire bats, _Desmodus Rotundus_. So I shall not elaborate on their properties here. I mean, Evilheads use the same Blood Suck and Ultrasound moves, so nothing much is of note for their combative abilities. The only possibly dangerous situation I can imagine of involving Evilheads is if you actually get Silenced by their Ultrasound move, and then get chomped on.

Experienced fighters may fight an Evilhead easily.


	4. Species FGH

**F**

Flapbeat (_Naga Sabit_)

These aerial dragons are endemic to the regions surrounding the Gold Saucer, and have acquired a rather nasty reputation because of that simple fact. However, it should be noted here that they have not actually done anything wrong to contribute to said negative impressions; rather, the blame lies with a group of considerably unscrupulous humans. You see, the Gold Saucer does have a decent number of loan sharks lingering about its darker corners, and they are always very willing to loosen their purse strings when approached by a desperate gambler. Should the gambler fail to repay their debts, the loan sharks typically resort to some rather unconventional means to try and intimidate them into honoring the debt. If all else fails, a Flapbeat tail blade will be used to slit the hapless gambler's throat, and the foolish sucker's corpse thrown off a high balcony.

Given that Flapbeats are known to roost on the higher levels of the casino, attacks on people that wander too close to them are not unheard of. Thus, dead gamblers would typically be written off as suicide cases or Flapbeat victims, and everyone ends up going home with a spring in their step. For their part, the dragons are highly aggressive, which only serves to make the rumors more believable. So their ill-deserved bad reputation can actually be considered as a combination of biological and human factors.

In a fight, they only use melee attacks using their tails. While all healthy specimens will normally have a large, sickle-like blade at the tip of their tail, the blade is sometimes kept concealed as they attack. Apparently, some of the specimens will not resort to using their retractable tail blades unless they perceive themselves to be cornered. Be that as it may, their reflexes are nothing short of incredible, and the sheer musculature of their fleshy tails is equally as impressive. A normal Flapbeat will be able to maintain full control over its tail strikes even when fully agitated, which in itself suggests that they have a significant amount of intelligence to work with in addition to their physical endowments.

Flapbeat bones, however, are all hollow save for those of their spinal column. It was theorized once upon a time that their entire skeleton was hollow due to their aerial maneuverability, but this theory was quickly shot down by a simple dissection. The anatomists conducting the dissection did notice that the powerful muscles of their tail were also affiliated with those of their wings and breast, which explained the species' ability to fly about as they did. However, this unusual distribution of bone and muscle mass makes their limbs and other peripheral body parts particularly susceptible to physical blows, since the hollow bones of said areas would be easily broken when subjected to intensive strain. To simplify this description for those morons out there, Flapbeats basically have more muscles and bone mass centered about their chest, tail, and wings.

Rookie fighters may challenge Flapbeats if they can move faster than the dragons themselves (something that I find to be highly unpredictable).

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Flower Prong (_Drosera Senapang_)

Of all the species chronicled thus far in my thesis, Flower Prongs are probably the hardest to describe. This is simply because they all possess _one_ common physical trait, and are otherwise indistinguishable from one another. A biologist's task in identifying members of this species are further complicated by the fact that as a Flower Prong matures, it sheds the butter-yellow petals that would have been the aforementioned species marker, which of course makes it practically impossible to spot in the wilderness, let alone identify. You see, these carnivorous plants tend to take root in depressions on the ground, forks in branches of trees, and even in shallow swamps. Once they have anchored their tough, fibrous roots into whatever medium they happened to germinate in, they shed the large petals that protected their immature buds, and expose the long, trailing feelers which have developed. Then, a Flower Prong will grow several broad, white petals that it leaves spread out around it. The insides of these petals are sticky and as such, forest debris typically accumulates on the flat sheets of tissue.

Thus, a Flower Prong would have made itself resemble little more than a mass of debris by the time it matures. Given that an adult specimen's petals are highly sensitive to touch in addition to being sticky, any weight pressing down on the petals will cause the plant to lash out at the potential meal with its feelers. Much like the tentacles of a jellyfish, these feelers are coated in numerous microscopic stingers that are triggered by touch (nematocysts, if you had a peon of scientific knowledge in you). If the Flower Prong's prey continues to struggle even after the stinging feelers have wrapped around them, the plant will discharge copious amounts of paralytic pollen in an attempt to subdue the victim. This mode of attack is particularly dangerous, since their pollen can even paralyze the muscles of your diaphragm and lungs if you inhale enough of it. There have also been cases whereby the Flower Prong actually cast a Bio2 spell at its potential prey, but only a handful of such incidences have been recorded in recent years.

Rarer still are the incidents whereby Flower Prongs have fired seeds at their prey. Usually, they propagate their species by firing their seeds far away from their own rooting site, to avoid competition with their own offspring. However, if the Flower Prong somehow decides that its prey is formidable enough to warrant such drastic measures, it _will_ utilize its feelers to propel a seed or two at the target. In fact, their species name, 'senapang', is derived from the Malay word for 'rifle', since apparently Flower Prongs were once rather notorious for their seed-shooting abilities. However, such actions are hardly observed these days, which does make me wonder if the species has actually adapted somehow to environmental changes since they were first named. Given that they are only found around Gongaga, some have also questioned the way by which a Malay name made its way into the books for this species; the Wutaians are the last living speakers of the tongue.

From a taxonomic point of view, Flower Prongs are classified as a species of sundew. Unlike their sessile, docile cousins, however, they do possess the ability to move, even if the motions are restricted to their feelers only. There has been some debate of late as to whether the feelers of a Flower Prong can be considered as a means for locomotion, since older specimens have been observed to use said appendages to grasp nearby branches and pull themselves into locations where there is more sunlight, or where the soil is richer in nutrients. Little to no opposition has been put up against the theories, though, since few scientists have actually bothered to study this fascinating plant species. I myself specialized in the four species of Unknown, and so the only true expert regarding Flower Prongs would be Professor Tabo, from the university of Wutai. He is a professor of botany at the ancient institute, and has spent eighteen years studying this particular carnivorous plant species at the very least. This devotion to his true passion is indeed admirable, given that he managed to publish not less than fifteen academic papers and journals even as he was carrying out his research into _Drosera Senapang_.

If Professor Tabo's missing left leg is any indication, only experienced fighters should bother trying to track down and take down a Flower Prong. they might be weak, but their camouflage makes it close to impossible to see them until it is - more often than not - too late.

xxx

Formula (_Diomedea Impulsus_)

Formulas are the last surviving species of albatross on Gaia, since the last of the non-violent albatross died in captivity some eight years ago. True to their nature as a fish-eating avian species, they can be found in vast flocks around the Junon coast. Also, they are highly territorial and will fiercely defend their nests from any perceived threats to their eggs and/or chicks. In fact, this species was one of the major factors influencing the decision by ShinRa to build that horrible eyesore of a tower over at the Junon coast. The idea had been to utilize Formulas as a natural defensive force for the tower, which sounded fine and dandy on paper (as most idiotic ideas tend to be). However, that decision has returned to haunt those dumb fucks in administration for quite a while now, since the birds turned out to be a little... _too_ territorial.

Well, it was mostly a repeat of the drama of the underwater mako reactor. You know, the one involving the Corvette eels and Diver Nests? Yes, it was that bad. Sure, the Formulas began building their nests using the tower's spindly girders once they had determined that it was not a dangerous place to make their homes at. Oh, all we had to worry about was a bunch of electrocuted workers at first, but then the Formulas became steadily more aggressive. Soon, there were frequent cases of workers being quite literally torn apart by ravenous specimens, and the tower itself was damaged by the specimens as they began scrounging for nesting materials. Wiring, electrical insulation, and even PVC piping were all stripped and used to line their nests, the electricity coursing through the tower's conducting components not affecting the birds much.

As you _should_ be able to deduce from the above paragraph, a Formula is somewhat unaffected by electrical discharges. However, sufficiently powerful Bolt spells will be able to penetrate their naturally-occurring grounding properties, and thus they aren't immune to lightning. To their credit, even the great birds themselves seem to be aware of this fact; our contacts among the Junon fisher-folk have reported that the Formulas all leave the tower during lightning storms, and as such, we have had to resort to stimulating a thunderstorm if the tower is in need of repairs. This has not stopped the assaults on our workers, though, since some of the more violent specimens will normally try to go in for a quick kill as soon as they see humans approaching their homes.

Now, Formulas all possess a powerful capacitor organ that can generate high-voltage electrical surges. They also have complete voluntary control over this organ, which allows them to discharge electricity at will during a fight. It should be noted, also, that it was the capacitor organs of Formulas which gave E. Marx the idea for his renowned Marx impulse generator. This apparatus has been useful in various types of physics experiments, and so Formulas probably are rather important contributors to the development of our knowledge of electricity in a way (alongside the Battery Caps, whose ability to produce terrific amounts of electricity remains awe-inspiring even till today, and the Crown Lances, whose natural affinity for lightning were the inspiration for the first circuit resistors).

As a matter of fact, a simple experimental set-up can be used to visualize the mechanism by which a Formula fires up its rather infamous Blue Impulse and Cross Impulse attacks. This is none other than the Jacob's Ladder, or 'ladder to heaven'. Basically, the experiment consists of observing how a high-voltage electrical arc travels upwards between two wires, almost as if it was climbing between them. A Formula uses a similar means to channel the electricity from its capacitor organ to its claws and beak; a powerful electrical arc will be struck between their metal-saturated tendons, and elastic deformation of the tendons will channel the voltage towards an appropriate outlet. The aforementioned attacks can be devastating if used underwater, since they can swim, and most other species aren't capable of withstanding such levels of electricity.

Moderately-experienced fighters may challenge a Formula, since their reflexes are somewhat sluggish due to a significant amount of nerve over-stimulation by the electrical currents circulating within their bodies.

xxx

Foulander (_Sphinx Orientalis_)

Unless you are a dunce, an ignorant idiot, or a plain, stinking fool, you'd probably know what a sphinx is. And unless you are a myopic, ignorant fool, you'd realize that several species of sphinx are still surviving on Gaian soil this very day. How about that? I actually used the word 'ignorant' in two consecutive sentences; something Professor Gast wagered I couldn't do. Suck this, professor! Anyways, Foulanders are an oriental species of sphinx, the geographical distinction being similar to that of the long-extinct species of Wutaian dragon known traditionally as the 'Loong'. While the Loong were a colorful species of dragon, the Foulanders are probably their sphinx equivalents, given that they actually have multiple layers of fur, all of which may be of differing colors and shades.

Traditionally, the Wutaians used to worship the Loong as symbols of longevity and also as harvest gods of a sort. However, the Foulanders were revered more for their apparent sentience, and their fondness for children. Here, it should be noted that the species is not a child-eating one; rather, members of the species are known as caring parents and kind souls that protect children from harm. In fact, cases of children being rescued from burning buildings by a Foulander are not uncommon in Wutaian lore, and there have also been documented incidents of Foulanders helping to keep families warm during especially cold weather. Therefore, the prayers devoted to this species are typically backed by a desire for a child to grow up to be matured, kind, and wise. However, I personally believe this to be a whole load of crap.

Now, anyone who has actually been inside the Da Chao statue would have seen how random fires tend to start over large fissures in the ground. The statue itself was carved out of a mountain's stone face - indeed a wondrous feat of engineering and architecture - and as such, several natural gas channels and hot air vents were accidentally disturbed during the excavations. This, coupled with the pyromaniac tendencies of a Foulander, have often led to sudden explosions and fires in the tunnels carved into the solid granite, and thus the small fires that are often seen are usually little more than the remnants of a Foulander's fire.

Obviously, for such a species to thrive in fiery environments, they must possess some measure of fire-proof properties. Truly, their fur is capable of withstanding even a Fire3 spell at full power, and the multiple layers can even deflect a continuous flame barrage. In fact, Foulanders have even developed the ability to trap fire between the layers of their fur as they prance around. This is usually followed by a rapid charge at an enemy, accompanied by a powerful discharge of the trapped flames. I have only seen such an attack being carried out once, and it was nothing short of _beautiful!_ The Foulander in question actually managed to release the fire it had accumulated within its fur in an elegant, spiral-shaped pattern, and the velocity of its charge only served to increase the impact of its Flame Dance. Yes, the move was named 'Flame Dance', since few other words can express its sheer elegance in a fight. Otherwise, they will use their dainty-looking claws to swipe at an enemy; not too shabby, given that their claws can also trap heat and flames like their fur.

In the olden days, some blasphemous poachers did manage to hunt down a Foulander. Eventually, the fur wound up in a chemist's hands, and he determined that the fur contained an unusually high amount of silicate minerals in it. As a matter of fact, the chemical composition of the sample was surprisingly similar to industrial-grade asbestos. This discovery let the cat out of the bag with regards to a Foulander's fire-proof properties, and also managed to explain why Wutaian priests that worshiped these creatures tended to die of lung problems after several years of exposure to them. It is also notable that a Foulander's fur, much like asbestos, has some amount of usefulness as an electrical insulator - which was why primitive Wutaian electrical appliances actually featured wires with woven insulating layers that had been made of fallen Foulander fur.

Moderately experienced fighters might challenge a Foulander.

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Frozen Nail (_Scolopendra Glacialis_)

Insects, or even arthropods in general, are rarely found in extremely cold locations. However, these larger-than-life centipedes are rather commonly found in the many rocky crevices which are scattered all over the Great Glacier. Easily reaching up to six feet in length, they do not have as many legs as their smaller, more tropically-inclined relatives. They do, however, make up for this apparent shortcoming with their horrible temperaments and sharp limbs; a Frozen Nail's legs are sharp enough to pierce solid blocks of ice such that it could scale frozen cliffs if it so chose to. These creatures are also one of the reasons why traversing the Great Glacier's icy terrain is highly dangerous - their tendency to hide beneath snowdrifts and within crevasses allows them to ambush any fools that may be clueless enough to wander about the frozen wastes without being vigilant.

Now, Frozen Nails are probably one of the best examples of a species that has a partial elemental adaptation. Since they are also the first such species I shall elaborate on in this manuscript, I shall spare you the lecture on your dreadful ignorance. Obviously, you wouldn't know what a partial elemental adaptation is now, would you? So, a partial elemental adaptation simply means that an organism is physically associated with one of the magical elements to such an extent that it basically _becomes_ a partial manifestation of the element in question. In this case, Frozen Nails are partially ice-adapted, and hence are composed mostly of an incredibly hardy type of living ice. Due to the partial nature of their adaptation, their icy nature only extends as far as an impressive tolerance for sub-zero temperatures and the ability to withstand melting at room conditions.

From that, it should be clear that a member of this particular species has no immunity or even resistance to Fire-based attacks. As I have already mentioned in the paragraph above, their elemental adaptation only enables them to survive in their native habitat and prevents them from melting should they be exposed to room conditions. Thus, they are affected just normally by Fire-based spells, and this has probably been the death of many an assuming idiot. For heaven's sake, don't tell me that _all_ ice-adapted organisms are weak against Fire! That's about as ridiculous as saying that all homosexual men are physically weak and like to dress up in drag. For the love of Mako...

Moving on with the discourse on the Frozen Nails' weakness, the species has displayed a surprising lack of venom glands. Instead, they secrete a peculiar enzyme into their prey as part of their saliva, that will liquefy all the prey's innards. This enzyme is only effective at temperatures between minus thirty to about twenty degrees Celsius, and so is an astonishing example of how a species can adapt to its natural environment at a biochemical level. Here, the biochemistry we are referring to is not the biochemistry of the organism as per se - rather, I am referring to how its non-homeostatic functions have also adapted to the harsh climates in which the species has evolved. Snake venom, for instance, remains potent even when frozen, but the Frozen Nail salivary enzymes are rendered completely inactive within minutes of the ambient temperature changing beyond the normal active range.

Combat-wise, these large arthropods are rather impressive. Given that they are little more than sentient blocks of moving ice that happen to have a centipede-like shape, their abilities in a fight are indeed to be respected. They retain an amazing amount of mobility despite their ice-encrusted joints, and have a respectable set of reflexes about them. Hence, an agitated Frozen Nail can actually take several swipes at you before you could even blink, and when the liquefying enzymes get to work... suffice to say, not much of you will be left.

Another interesting aspect of these creatures is their ability to regenerate when put through grievous bodily harm. Here, their regenerative properties are not limited to those which are commonly seen in gastropods (slugs and snails, in the common ignoramus' book), but rather, include the ability to recover from almost complete physical destruction as long as there is an abundant water supply and the surrounding temperatures are low enough. I myself have witnessed this bedazzling phenomenon once in my laboratory; Lucrecia and I practically dismembered a few Frozen Nails, and partially melted several others using focused and amplified Fire3 spells. We then kept them in an extremely humid and cold chamber (about minus eighteen degrees Celsius, if my memory serves me correctly), and voila! They actually managed to regrow all the limbs and organs that we had damaged, and the semi-melted specimens actually managed to re-form parts of their exoskeletons before expiring. Granted, the odds of a Frozen Nail being melted in the wild are extremely low, so we were thoroughly impressed by what we observed.

Only experienced fighters should bother challenging Frozen Nails, due to their tendency to hunt in packs and also the harsh conditions of their natural habitat.

* * *

**G**

Gagighandi (_Naga Basilisk_)

The (allegedly) great explorer and scientist Ipsen Ornitier once detailed a species known as Basilisks in his incredible manuscript, 'Beasts of Gaia'. According to him, these creatures had the ability to turn their prey into stone merely by making eye contact with them, and also tended to immobilize prey by spitting out large amounts of sticky slime at their intended victim(s). He also claimed that they were reptilian by nature, and that specimens could be obtained by hatching a chicken's egg beneath a petrified toad. Such practices are obviously impossible from a scientific point of view, but I sometimes do find myself wondering if it _had_ been possible sometime in the mysterious, long-forgotten past.

I recall that during my undergraduate years, one of my lecturers was quite fond of reminding us that science could not possibly account for everything that existed and transpired within our universe. She used to tell us that while science had enriched the lives of mankind, it had also managed to ruin our spirituality and belief in things that we could never, ever comprehend. Back then, I was not alone in thinking that the dear woman had more than several screws loose in that skull of hers, but as time goes by and I ascend to greater heights of scientific knowledge, I find myself acknowledging that she had indeed been right to a certain extent. While we _have_ made incredible advances in the various fields of science, there are some things within this wondrous world of ours that we cannot even begin to make sense of.

It is for that reason, and that reason only, that I have spent my time digging into 'Beasts of Gaia' - after all, a man of science is meant to be objective, and I shall do whatever I can to ensure that no opportunity to amass more knowledge has slipped by me.

Now, onto the actual topic on hand - the Gagighandi. Similar to the Basilisks that Ipsen had described, these rather small-sized dragons are among the inhabitants of the Gongaga forests. Since they have only been encountered about thirteen times in the last fifty years or so, it is theorized that they might be phobic towards humans, have a low birth rate, stand on the edge of extinction, or maybe even a combination of all three factors. Most eyewitness accounts are usually of a rapidly-moving dragon disappearing into the forest, too fast for a human tracker to follow. Only three of the thirteen documented encounters with a Gagighandi have involved an actual fight with a specimen, and they did live up to their names as relatives of the legendary Basilisks on those occasions. Anyone who doesn't believe me can kindly suck my cock and then take a peep into the Bobo Inn over at Gongaga; the stone statue of a man which stands in the lobby was once the owner of the inn.

I cannot provide much information on this intriguing species due to their rarity, but from the eyewitness accounts, it is clear that they can channel petrification spells out of their eyes. Given that most dragons rely heavily on eye contact to feed, hunt, mate, and socialize, it is possible that Gagighandis are merely a species that went one step further on the evolutionary track with regards to the eye contact aspect. Here, it should be noted that we can be said to be living in a world of dragons, since Gaia probably has more than its fair share of endemic dragon species.

No conclusive battling advice can be provided here, since I myself have yet to encounter one of these puzzling creatures.

xxx

Gargoyle (_Petrificus Agares_)

As with the entry on Gagighandis, I shall once again make a reference to 'Beasts of Gaia'. Ipsen's description of a Gargoyle is as written below:

_"Winged beasts of Stone, Gargoyles are formed from the souls of the victims of an Agares. When an Agares feeds on its victim's pain, it also drains a slight amount of the victim's life force. The drained life force is of course, negligible and can be regenerated over time, given proper rest and nutrition. However, if said victim is actually drained of its life force to the point of death, it shall be morphed into a still creature, and grow the wings and fangs of demons. Then, it shall remain dormant until an Agares - not necessarily the one that killed it - comes and claims it as its own. Agares always travel with a petrified Gargoyle, miniaturized and wrapped up in its cursed robes, ready to Rise at its master's command, to serve the foul creature's whims. Should an Agares set its Gargoyle upon you, never look into its eyes, for they have within them the spells of Break and Gradual Petrify, which will turn you into stone."_

_"Gargoyles are fiercely loyal to the Agares that claims them, for reasons unknown to man. In fact, a scholar once commented that they are rather like, 'Pets that love their abusive masters, regardless of whether or not their love is reciprocated by the wretched being that claims mastery over them'. Hence, it is a common battle tactic to stage feints against an Agares, to deceive the Gargoyle into jumping in front of its master, for you to kill it. You see, Gargoyles often take flight during a battle, and crawl on the high-vaulted ceilings of the abandoned castle which they inhabit. They will proceed to descend upon their master's enemies in a flurry of claws and razor-wings, often with deadly effects. They are protective of their Agares masters to the point that they will cast Stona upon a Petrified Agares, to free it from its Petrification."_

_"Gargoyles, despite their impressive abilities, are rather weak if they are fighting against people with anti-Petrification abilities, often provided by special combat apparel. Hence, it will be easier to defeat an Agares and its Gargoyle if you are immune to Petrification, since then, you could focus your efforts on finishing-off the Agares before it makes your life more complicated. Gargoyle Charge and Aerial Slash attacks are rather weak, and can be ignored while you beat-down their master."_

_"Being creatures of Stone, they are proof to Earth-based magic. Their weakness, however, lies in Wind spells of sufficient strength. Never forget this, that even the mightiest of mountains will be eroded and weakened by the strongest of gales, for this logic applies to the world of monsters also."_

_"To be challenged by experienced fighters only. Since they appear alongside an Agares, experience is a prerequisite to battling them."_

This account of a Gargoyle is accurate to an appreciable extent, although there are several discrepancies with regards to how it meshes with our current knowledge of the species. Firstly, no Gargoyles have been found in any of the castle ruins on Gaia (they are native to the Northern Crater). Then, there is the question as to just what an Agares is. Carolus Linneaus clearly knew something about the Agares species, since he even included the term as part of a Gargoyle's scientific name, but no reliable records of an Agares have been found outside of Ipsen's own work. Note that I said no reliable records of an Agares have been found; most of the available resources on the species are either too vague to be of use, or are too far-fetched to be taken seriously (Ipsen's own account non-withstanding).

For the sake of being concise, I shall not elaborate further on the properties of a Gargoyle. However, I shall include the entry in 'Beasts of Gaia' that concerns the mysterious creature known as an Agares. All that should be noted about Ipsen's entry on Gargoyles is that they do NOT harbor a weakness against Wind spells, and that Earth-based magic can be rather effective when used against them.

_Agares (Magus Agares)_

_"Originally formed from the soul of a fanatical castle librarian, this demon is rather Mage-like, and is highly-proficient in magic. It carries a Grimoire book in its left palm, and this book is invaluable. It is also nearly impossible to retrieve, because a living Agares never surrenders its Grimoire, and a dead Agares turns to dust together with its Grimoire."_

_"An Agares' Grimoire contains spells of destruction but also of healing. As of today, seven hundred years since the Agares were first encountered, only three Agares Grimoires have been successfully retrieved from their holders, and these books are all within the collosal libraries of Lidblum and Alexandria. Only scholars, or those who have defeated an Agares, have the ability to read the Grimoires – they appear blank to anyone else who peruses their pages."_

_"Agares are sadistic monsters. They always appear alongside a dormant Gargoyle, which they will awaken using the Rise incantation. The savage Gargoyle will then maul the Agares' victims, while the Agares itself sits back and casts deadly spells from behind. Gargoyles are monsters without souls, that can only feel anger and pain. Agares, however, are perceptive to any emotions around them, and feed off pain."_

_"An Agares' magical attacks are all spells that Gargoyles are rather unaffected by. They often cast Fira, Thundara, and Blizzara spells to stun a target for their pet Gargoyle to finish-off. They can also cast Bio and Paper Storm, the latter of which is more of an immediate danger, whereas Bio is a subtler method of killing, by Poisoning its target."_

_"An Agares that is exhausted will use Osmose to drain energy from its victims or even its Gargoyle, so sadistic is it. Physical attacks are also mostly-ineffective against an Agares, whose robes are woven with several Dark spells that protect its black soul. It even has the ability Freeze, to incapacitate victims. Agares frequently freeze a victim limb-by-limb, to draw-out the victim(s) pain, all the better to satisfy their sadistic lust."_

_"They are only found in the Forgotten Continent, in an abandoned castle which I discovered with Colin. Thank God they are confined to the castle…"_

_"Agares are only to be challenged by expert Mages."_

Some references to the long-buried nations of Lindblum and Alexandria are present in the entry, and so from that, we should acknowledge that the Agares species possibly could have existed during the golden ages of the aforementioned nations. Otherwise, they are regarded as little more than a myth by most of the modern scientific community, at least until more concrete evidence of their existence is unearthed. None of the supposedly deadly Agares grimoires have ever been found, too; it is a possibility, however, that the strange books might have been destroyed during the witch-hunts that took place during medieval times, if they existed to begin with._  
_

xxx

Garuda (_Condor Pseudosentius_)

Garudas are the last surviving species of Gaian condor. They are majestic avian creatures with a three-meter wingspan, and which are often considered to be deities by some of the Wutaians who live close by the Da Chao statue. One of the possible reasons why they are so highly revered may be the fact that their bodies are humanoid to a certain extent; popular cultural depictions of a Garuda would typically portray it as being much like a bird-headed man with a muscular physique and large wings on his back. The Foulanders that can be found at the statue may be immune to Fire, but Garudas are immune to both Lightning- and Ice-based magic in addition to those immunities that form part of their aerial nature.

No person in living memory has actually seen a Garuda's nest, and no one probably will. The renowned avian specialist Dr. James Harding once tried to approach a Garuda and ask it for permission to follow it home, but was politely turned away by the condor. From that, it should be clear that this species possesses at least some semblance of sentience as well as intelligence. However, they can be brutal if angered; the numerous skeletons littering the bottom of the Da Chao statue serve as rather graphic reminders of what will happen to those who piss a Garuda off.

Despite their apparent bipolar nature, they are quite sporting and will often enough accommodate requests for a friendly bout of sparring. While sparring, Garudas will abide by a strict honor code, which includes bowing before a match, not striking a fallen opponent, and also not hitting someone whose back is turned to them. In return, they will expect their opponent to behave in an equally chivalrous and honorable manner. Otherwise, they will unleash the entirety of their bestial fury upon the person who disgusted them - there is an actual documented occasion whereby a particularly enraged Garuda actually sodomized the man who tried to land a blow on it once it had fallen onto the ground. Needless to say, the man died of a massive rectal hemorrhage within two days of the incident (something that isn't surprising, given how much physical power a Garuda has at its disposal).

I, however, stuck by their battle rules and actually managed to kill one of them.

From my perspective, their battling style relies more on swift and surgical strikes to critical body parts rather than brute force. Highly admirable and complex, but not as efficient as it could have been when he tried it against me. You see, I started the battle by casting a powerful Slow spell on him, which effectively cut his speed in half. From then on, it was a simple matter of moving in and hitting him at the right spots to deaden his nerves. Unfortunately, I overestimated the resilience of that particular specimen, and he perished shortly after the bout. His peers that had witnessed everything, however, were impressed with how I had handled the fight - they claimed that using a Slow materia was perfectly acceptable since I was a human weakling, and that it had been a while since anyone had taken down a Garuda in a fight. Till this day, I have a beautifully sharp Garuda feather mounted in a glass case on top of the filing cabinet in my office; a souvenir which they gave to me after carrying their late friend away.

I wouldn't advise any inexperienced fighters to challenge a Garuda in a death match, though; even with the Slow spell hindering its movements, the blasted thing was still considerably fast on its feet.

xxx

Ghirofelgo (_Rhinoceros Titanothereus_)

Ghirofelgos are yet another fine example of how not carrying out an ecological impact survey before beginning construction works can be a massive pain in the derriere. As with the Dorky Faces, Yin and Yangs, and several other strange species, they were first discovered when the ShinRa mansion was built above a network of subterranean caves at the outskirts of Nibelheim. Initially, these creatures were thought to be a humanoid species, but the killing of, and subsequent dissection of a specimen revealed that the actual organism was a rather small, quadrupedal (read: four-legged) thing that hid its true body behind the huge blade protruding from its cranium. Truly, it resembled a miniature rhinoceros, but with large, fleshy growths on its back and head that made it appear as if a human-shaped creature was actually riding the large, guillotine-like structure growing out of its skull.

Now, in order for the tiny creature to hold up its disproportionately large head for prolonged periods of time, common logic would dictate that it either has extremely strong legs, or the ability to levitate. Since common logic is sadly highly uncommon in actual fact, I shall instead nip this intellectual evil in its bud by stating a Ghirofelgo's mode of locomotion. A Ghirofelgo can actually levitate to a certain extent, and thus its legs are rather weak in comparison to its unsurprisingly developed neck and facial muscles. Obviously, the development of such an imbalanced set of physical properties was caused by the lack of dependence on their legs for locomotion, and their habit of swinging their heads rapidly from side to side as they charge towards potential victims.

Since their cranial blades weigh about eighty kilograms each, getting hit by such a creature is highly ill-advised (I end up having to desecrate the sanctity of my thesis by stating the blindingly obvious, alas). Once they have hit a target with sufficient force to take it down, they will hover in place above the fallen creature and proceed to devour it using their fang-lined maws. Should a downed victim attempt to roll out of the way, the hungry Ghirofelgo shall temporarily cease to levitate, thus bringing the entire weight of its cranial blade down upon the hapless being. To date, only one person has managed to evade an enraged Ghirofelgo's free-fall slam, if my memory serves me right. However, he did lose his left arm to the Ghirofelgo.

In actual combat, downing a Ghirofelgo is a rather straightforward process; all it takes is a powerful Gravity spell to bring it down to the ground. This will prevent it from moving any faster than the speed of snails, and as such, its offensive capabilities will be reduced to tossing its head about to try and broadside you. Any idiots reading this thesis, however, should be wary of the swinging head move, since it is still strong enough to smash through a brick wall even though the Ghirofelgo has been grounded.

Only challenge a Ghirofelgo if you have at least some experience fighting heavyweight species that can dish out one-hit knockouts.

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Ghost (_Ectoplasma Sentius_)

Much like the boring, generic Dragon, Ghosts are not a particularly exciting species. For quite some time, there was a fierce debate over their taxonomic classification; after all, how _does_ one go about classifying something that is arguably already dead? In the end, they were classified as another form of Mako mutation, and given the genus name _Ectoplasma_ - till this day, I suspect that someone who was a big 'Ghostbusters' fan was the one who conferred that name upon them. Prior to that, they were studied without a valid scientific name, by a questionably deranged character named Frederick Griffith. He had once been known for his investigations into the nature of DNA, but for some reason he decided to go and pursue the study of Ghosts once the buzz about DNA had died down a little.

It was from the research of Frederick Griffith that most of our modern-day knowledge of Ghosts was obtained. His first significant discovery was that they were undead creatures, which of course led to the theories regarding the nature of undead creatures when subjected to certain spells and magical attacks. Hence, we now know that all undead creatures are extremely vulnerable to curative and restorative spells. Then, Griffith also discovered that Ghosts were rather sensitive to sandalwood fumes, and this has become the standard test to determine if an organism is a subspecies of Ghost or not. How he arrived at that particular conclusion is an interesting story in itself, but I shall not touch on it here since I'm sure none of you nincompoops will appreciate it - the sandalwood bit doesn't even involve anything religious, just so you know.

Now, Ghosts are partially aerial, but do not possess a weakness to Wind spells like their living counterparts. Instead, they are extremely vulnerable to Fire-based magic, since their bodies contain a significant amount of Mako. Thus, any heating of a Ghost could cause it to burst into flames, which of course is fatal to the organism (if that was not obvious enough). However, they are not susceptible to extra damage from Holy spells, though some imbeciles seem to think is the case. Taking them out is simple, really; a basic Fire spell will work well enough.

From an offensive angle, these creatures are also quite lackluster. The most they can do is swipe at you with their rather weak hands, or cast Drain spells at you. Other than that, they somehow have the ability to cast Fire spells also; something which is puzzling indeed, given that they are especially weak against that very magical element. I should warn you, though, that their Drain attacks are possibly hazardous if cast by an entire swarm of the undead organisms - Frederick Griffith himself lost his life to eight Ghosts that used Drain spells to attack him continuously.

Even rookie fighters may easily defeat a Ghost, provided they have a decent command over Fire spells.

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Ghost Ship (_Ectoplasma Erasmus_)

While these distressingly rare creatures are officially classified as a species of ghost, many within the modern scientific community are now of the opinion that their present taxonomic classification might be erroneous. This is due to the fact that the last few documented encounters with Ghost Ships have provided us with ample evidence that they actually liquefy into a murky silver substance upon being killed, as opposed to dissipating into a gaseous mass like most Ghosts do. Alas, no one has managed to carry out the sandalwood fumes test on them to see if they are at least partially related to Ghosts - god knows how their classification was done if this simple litmus test wasn't even used on them. However, the fact that they seemingly melt when defeated suggests that they are more alive than undead, and gives room for the possibility that they are related to the strange creatures known as the Unknown.

Since it shall be quite a while before you arrive at the Unknown section of my thesis - I'm assuming most of my readers will read at the speed of slugs - I shall briefly explain about the Unknown species we are discussing here. You see, there are actually four species of Unknown, which have been named with numbers (ie - Unknown 1, 2, 3, and 4). If I had mentioned earlier that Ghost Ships are distressingly rare, the Unknowns could be considered as being catastrophically rare. They are aquatic organisms that tend to live at depths of up to eight kilometers, but which also been known to stray up to the abyssal plains (about two to six kilometers deep). Incidentally, most of the Unknown sightings have been reported at depths of about half a kilometer, which gives rise to the possibility that most of our encounters with these bewildering species have consisted of confrontations with ailing or dying specimens.

Here, it is the Unknown 4 which we are focusing on. In their apparent natural state, Unknown 4's resemble a constantly moving mass of silvery liquid, and as such have been compared to a living pool of mercury. Also known as 'Devil's Silver' by seamen, this species of Unknown is the only species which will liquefy upon its death, whereby it loses control of its fluid body and merely spreads out like a spilled cup of liquid. The dead creature will also lose its silvery coloration and take on a copper-like tone once it dies, which is probably the most reliable sign we can look out for. One thing that continues to make us scientists confused - and which I shall go deeper into once we reach the relevant section of this thesis - is how a marine organism could have evolved to have a fluid body despite being being subjected to underwater currents. While such a physical configuration is undeniably resistant to the terrific water pressure at the depths which these creatures come from, it is most probably highly unstable, especially as it approaches the surface of the ocean.

Due to the similarities between these two species, we have begun more thorough investigations into the true nature of a Ghost Ship. Unfortunately, them being aquatic organisms makes it close to impossible to carry out a sandalwood fumes test unless the specimen being observed is captured. So far, the prodigious marine biologist Frederick Aldrich - who became known for his work on _Architeuthis dux_, or the giant squid - has been the man spearheading the research programs, and has been living in ShinRa's underwater reactor for the last six months or so. To date, he has actually managed to capture one Ghost Ship, though the specimen died shortly after capture due to injuries sustained when it was being trapped. He did, however, note that they possess the ability to turn living organisms into undead creatures, and also that Ghost Ships tended to use radial electrical discharges to try and stun their prey.

As an aside, he did note that Ghost Ships seemed to prefer attacking with Lightning-based magic. He also commented that they could actually direct their electrical assaults in a particular direction, which could possibly account for at least a few of the oceanic phenomena known as 'Saint Elmo's Fire', whereby sailors reported see a glowing ball of light out at sea; such an ability could be used to lure prey towards themselves, he theorized. Beyond that, we still know very little about the species itself, since no specimens have actually been encountered further than five kilometers from the underwater Mako reactor.

Unless you own a submarine or underwater Mako reactor, you wouldn't be fighting one of these creatures.

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Gigas (_Pseudohominidae Lunatone_)

J.R.R. Tolkien was one of several writers whose works featured trolls - he wrote The Lord of the Rings, in case you happen to be illiterate - and also one of several writers who drew inspiration from Gaia's native wildlife. Here, the species in concern would be a dull-witted yet considerably strong creature whose appearance is rather primate-like, and which is known as the Gigas. As with most of the other species endemic to the Northern Crater and its surrounding regions, not much is known about the Gigas. However, it is important to note that this is not so much due to their rarity, but rather, the fact that they only come alive once a month.

You see, Gigas are considered by some zoologists to be mithril-based organisms. While a Castanets might have an exoskeleton that is practically saturated in mithril, Gigas could be regarded as walking mithril stockpiles. The magical substance itself forms the bulk of their bodies, and is what gives them their natural luminescence. From there, the reason for their limited mobility should be clear - their physical composition involves so much mithril that they cannot move unless a full moon is present to activate the mithril (refer to my entry on the Castanets for clarification on how moonlight initiates the fire-proof properties of mithril, if you happen to be an amnesiac).

Curiously enough, despite being composed almost entirely out of mithril, Gigas are not fire-proof. This puzzled zoologists for a long time - as most mithril-based organisms tend to do - until it was discovered that their affinity for mithril involved an adaptation to the earth itself. Hence, they remain vulnerable to fire-based magic, but possess an immunity against earth-based spells. The photochemical reaction responsible for the activation of mithril's fire-proof properties do not occur in a Gigas, and are substituted for by several biochemical cycles that resemble the aforementioned fire-proofing processes. Here, the enzymes involved in activating the mithril merely serve to make it pliable and more like living tissue rather than rendering it immune to flames.

Lucrecia and I did try to catch the Gigas in action during our expedition to the Northern Crater, but our attempts were thwarted by a cloudy night. It didn't really take us long to locate a open area where several statue-like rock formations - dormant Gigas resemble mithril outcroppings - stood, and so we waited for the moon to come... As the clouds covered the moon, we despaired and cursed at the sky, but to no avail - those dratted thunderclouds resolutely refused to move away from the moon. For a few brief moments, however, they _did_ shift, resulting in the Gigas all waking up for that short period of time. I can assure you of one thing - zombie horror movies have nothing on the sight of several dozen Gigas all slowly coming to life under the moonlight. Alas, the clouds soon shifted back to cover the moon, and the partially-awakened Gigas all returned to their stony states.

While I myself have not witnessed, let alone documented their combat abilities, Gigas were somewhat well-studied by Carolus Linneaus. He noted that they were capable of utilizing the power of the moonlight itself in a fight, and that their attacks were often powerful enough to shatter boulders even when not focused.

Only experienced fighters should challenge a Gigas, by virtue of their very habitat.

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Gighee (_Panthera Seductus_)

While most of the species that inhabit the Northern Crater tend to remain within its shadowy confines for the duration of their lives, Gighee remain a notably horrifying exception. These felines are a deadly species, and their tendencies for wandering up to three kilometers past the Crater's edge makes them a hazard even to those few brave souls that eke out a living out near Gaia's most dangerous piece of real estate. A quick glance would probably make you think that they are a startlingly pretty species, but if you actually managed to kill one... I'm sure that you would vomit upon seeing just how hideous their faces really are. Some have theorized that the ancient myths regarding Sirens were probably related to the Gighee, and I'm inclined to agree with them - little proof exists to contradict said theory.

Now, Gighee are not a particularly well-known species save for their homicidal tendencies. No one in the history of science has actually studied them thoroughly, and for good reason - they are among the few species of monster out there that actually _rape_ their victims.

Gighee are a hermaphroditic species, and all of them possess ovipositors - an appendage for depositing eggs - that are located where you'd find a penis on a normal feline specimen. They also possess musk glands that secrete a highly potent pheromone that can alter the consciousness of their potential prey, and allow them to carry out the dirty deed. You see, Gighee eggs can only be incubated in living hosts, and the newborn specimens often chew their way out of their host as soon as their jaws mature. Since Gighee have a fondness for eating rocks - giving rise to theories regarding them being lithovores - their offspring usually chew through the host's ribs to make their exit.

If I remember correctly, a movie called 'Alien' utilized this concept for the way in which newborns emerge for the fictitious species of monster in it. Very commendable, given that the research on Gighee is rather limited and obscure.

However, there has been at least one case of a Gighee rape victim being saved by surgical removal of the implanted eggs. Nonetheless, he committed suicide shortly after the procedure was completed, due to the severe mental trauma that he had gone through. Apparently, the aftereffects of the Gighee pheromones were more long-lasting than science has thought them to be. After all, they have already been proven to be capable of making sane, healthy individuals think that the grotesque countenance of a Gighee is actually a pretty face, and so further investigation into the matter would probably be an interesting endeavor, if at all possible.

Don't bother challenging a Gighee - they tend to hunt in packs, and you'd most likely be reduced to a pile of raped guts before you could take them down.

xxx

Goblin (_Magus Deprivus_)

Once a widespread species, Goblins have now been hunted to the brink of extinction. They now only exist on a small island known as Goblin Island, as well as another nearby island named Round Island.

I didn't even bother tracking some down and studying them, since I recall seeing an episode of 'Chocobo Dundee' where the show's presenter actually punted a Goblin who was harassing him. See how useless they are?

Anyway, here is some reading material on Goblins, since Ipsen was infinitely kinder to them in his manuscript, 'Beasts of Gaia'.

_Goblins are annoying, snot-nosed pipsqueaks that are indigenous to the Evil Forest and the nearby Gunita's Basin. They belong to the Mage family, and the genus Magus, since they do share many physiological similarities with Goblin Mages and several other Mage creatures. However, they lack the ability to use magic efefctively, and instead use crudely-fashioned Knives to defend themselves (Self-defence is usually necessitated by them angering other creatures that could normally kill them). They move in groups, and will often swarm anything that they think is within their capacity to defeat. They do use magic sometimes, namely, the ability Goblin Punch, which produces a shower of sparks even when they strike the softest of targets._

_Bloody useless spell if you ask me, unless you're in dire need of special effects at a show or something._

_These poor bastards are weak towards, and terribly afraid of, fire. So if a group of them is advancing towards you with naughty intentions, wait till they come close, and roast the whole damn swarm with a well-aimed Fire spell. Don't feel guilty about it - they reproduce like germs, and there are too many idiots in the world, anyway. Here, I feel compelled to quote a famous sideshow owner:_

_A sucker is born every minute - Phineas T. Barnum_

_Idiots and Fire spells aside, Qus dislike eating Goblins. They claim that the flesh of Goblins is stringy and tasteless, as well as grossly inadequate for sustenance since they are skinny little sticks. I've tried it once, and I can assure you, eating Goblins will literally leave a foul aftertaste in your mouth._

_If you defeat a Goblin, go and hang yourself. They're the weakest creatures on Gaia, I swear._

The locations referred to in Ipsen's manuscript are no longer on any maps of Gaia, and so nothing much can be said about those, either._  
_

xxx

Golem (_Golem Golem_)

While they may not be quite as hard to damage as compared to their armored cousins, Golems are nonetheless formidable foes in combat. Why is this so, you might ask out of your ignorance? Well, it has a lot to do with the fact that killing a Golem as it prepares to attack is nothing short of suicidal, given that they have bodies like living black holes. Somehow, the ordinary Golem is capable of bending the laws of physics to a certain extent, whereby they can generate matter out of apparent nothingness - this truly bewildering phenomenon is suspected to be related to their singularity-like bodies. As one might expect, no one save for utter idiots bother troubling Golems as they mind their own business in the winding valleys of Cosmo Canyon.

As a side note, it has been theorized by several prominent biologists that Golems are manifestations of gravity-based magic. No one has managed to debunk this theory to date, and so it remains the most widely-accepted theory regarding a Golem's physical nature.

In the words of the renowned physicist Alan Lightman, there is a possibility of matter being spontaneously generated at a subatomic level, provided it disappears with sufficient haste. But of course, he was referring to the domain of the subatomic particles, and even 'sufficient haste' as he postulated would have been somewhere in the order of microseconds, most probably. So for the moron who sent me a letter refuting my paper which completely destroyed Sir E. Brum's theory on Golems and Armored Golems being related by means of allopatric speciation, read this - do the fucking mathematics, or at least understand the goddamned numbers, before trying to trump my theories with poorly-researched arguments.

So, Golems are capable of firing projectiles at those foolish enough to confront them, and the firing is done using their fingers. You see, a Golem's body is hollow, and its fingers somehow look as if a gangster from Don Cornhole's (or was it Corneo?) mob had chopped the fingertips off. Hence, their fingers are actually open-ended, and can serve as firing tubes for the mysterious projectiles that can do a nasty bit of damage if they meet their target. Alan Lightman's axiom has therefore been violated, since we aren't discussing anything behaving at a subatomic time scale - the Golem Finger Shots have been known to remain solid for at least a good ten seconds before disintegrating.

Besides the mystifying Finger Shot, Golems can also utilize the devastating Megaton Punch - even deadlier when you consider their habitat in the Cosmo Canyon area. Landslides have been triggered by their punches, and often enough, the Golem is buried alive with its opponent. However, this is of no consequence to the Golem, whose thick exoskeleton allows it to even withstand a one-ton impact without flinching. This is because if the creature's exoskeleton cracks even slightly, the gravitic singularity within its body will rapidly compress any matter that is within close proximity of the Golem, and so even if a mountain of rubble traps one of them, it would most liekly be able to literally shrug off the damage.

When I studied them - briefly but meaningfully, I assure you, my dear idiotic readers - dissection was indeed a tricky task. I had to figure out a way to split open the Golem's shell without actually being clsoe enough to get ensnared by the black hole that seemed to be the core of its body, and so it took me a while before I got a suitable idea. Simply put, I superheated the Golem's metalloid exoskeleton with a Fire3 spell, and then cast an Ice3 spell on the aggravated creature. Its exoskeleton cracked open in multiple areas, and the crater formed as its intrinsic gravitic singularity exhausted itself was no less than fifty feet in diameter - truly an impressive feat!

By the way, kindly do not be so stupid as to try and Manipulate a Golem - they don't have a brain, as far as science can tell.

Only experienced fighters with the means of ranged offense should take on a Golem, at the risk of being literally sucked into oblivion.

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Grand Horn (_Hippowdon Bipedalis_)

A hippopotamus is a quadruped, and members of the genus Hippowdon - the taxonomic group for Gaia's horned hippopotamus species - possess a similar number of limbs (in case you remain a dunce, quadrupeds have four legs). However, the exception to the rule would be the Grand Horn - arguably one of the deadliest species within the genus. Native to the regions surrounding Cosmo Canyon and also Gongaga, Grand Horns are capable of splitting granite boulders in two with a casual headbutt. Some have even charged at their prey with such force that they were unable to alter their course when said prey sidestepped them; those Grand Horns typically ended up getting stuck by smashing a large cavity into the side of the cliff which they had tried to trap their prey against, and died while trying to free themselves from the stony prison which they literally ran headfirst into.

Despite their sheer power, Grand Horns are relatively docile, much like the Golems which roam Cosmo Canyon. They prefer to put up threat displays and intimidate potential threats into fleeing rather than fighting, barring of course the occasions whereby they are hungry. In fact, their very names are misleading - they have among the smallest horns of the various Hippowdon species, being less endowed than their cousins the Cripshays or Dual Horns. Grand Horns do not even have teeth to rival those of the Edgeheads, and so from an anatomical point of view, they aren't quite as distinguishable as compared to other members of their genus.

The true strength of a Grand Horn, though, lies in its arms. While the species' horns and teeth are pathetic in comparison to those of their brethren on other parts of Gaia, Grand Horns possess incredible brachial musculature. Here, note that a typical arm or frontal limb has only five muscle bodies surrounding its proximal portion - typically the triceps and biceps, or some variant thereof. However, Grand Horns possess eight muscle bodies around their arms, making their arm structure resemble a bastardized attempt at quadriceps muscles being malformed around the same bone like Siamese twins. Not only that, their front limbs are longer than their rear limbs, giving them a distinctly bipedal tendency as opposed to their kins' quadrupedal nature.

If you really want to aggravate a Grand Horn, though, all you would need to do is to strike them in the face. Grand Horns go absolutely berserk if hit in the face, and will begin a bloodthirsty rampage until their adrenal glands temprarily get fatigued and cease the production of adrenaline. Considering that they can easily block an entire canyon pathway - twelve feet across - by spreading their frontal limbs out sideways, you'd definitely be hard-pressed to escape an angry specimen if you fled into confined areas.

Why did I mention that, you might ask? Well, I'm hoping that some of the imbeciles reading this would actually TRY to slap a Grand Horn in the face.

Moderately experienced fighters could take on a Grand Horn, provided their reflexes are good (after all, the Grand Horn is a hippopotamus at its very core - hardly the fastest of animals).

xxx

Grangalan (_? Halkieria Terraabscondus_)

During a solar eclipse, some people like to place eggs on the ground to watch them 'standing up' as the moon crosses between the sun and Gaia. This is merely a play on gravity, and no magic is involved. Of course, we also know exactly what lies within the eggs - standing or otherwise - as a mixture of albumin and yolk (white and yellow for the infantile mind). However, neither of the above explanations can be applied to the bizarre organism known as a Grangalan, which resembles a huge, floating egg with a crudely-formed face on its 'shell'.

Colorful and always silent, Grangalan are ovoid creatures that linger about the Cosmo Canyon and Corel areas, harassing travellers by following them around and making the occasional humming noise. If provoked, a Grangalan will either fire a strange, silvery disc at its attacker, or let loose with a bright flash of light from both of its eyes, that temporarily blinds whoever is stupid enough to be looking at the Grangalan. Nothing much can be said about the nature or mechanism of these attacks, since Grangalan typically self-destruct when they sense someone else being within five feet of their shells - the force of the explosions, however, has been measured as being about the same as that of ten sticks of dynamite being simultaneously detonated.

If the Grangalan's outermost shell is somehow damaged sufficiently, the shell will simply fall off to reveal a smaller Grangalan within it. This smaller Grangalan is known as Grangalan Jr., and the third - even tinier - Grangalan is often known as Grangalan Jr. Jr. Sometimes, an undamaged Grangalan will even split its own shell open to release both of the hidden Grangalans during a battle, and this is often followed by a threefold explosive attack - the Grangalan Jr. Jr. seem to explode with even greater force than a full-sized Grangalan, oddly enough. Due to this strange physical feature of theirs, Grangalans have been immortalized in a type of wooden doll known as the Matryoshka doll. I'm sure even an ignoramus like you has seen one before - the doll's top and bottom parts can be separated, to reveal successively smaller dolls within it (all identical, and with intricate craftsmanship for some of the prettier ones).

The real question pertains as to whether there is a different creature within the Grangalan Jr. Jr., but it looks like this question will remain unanswered for some time to come - Grangalan are immune to petrification, Stop, and even Death spells.

Since no one has actually managed to get close enough to dissect a Grangalan without them exploding, it is just theorized that they are brachiopods. For the arty-farty business graduates who might be reading this, brachiopods are bivalve creatures whose shells hinge in the top-bottom orientation as opposed to the left-right orientation. Nonetheless, this classification remains purely theoretical, which of course explains the question mark in front of their genus name.

Don't bother challenging a Grangalan unless you are proficient in ranged combat.

xxx

Gremlin (_Critter Halithosis_)

Made famous - rather imaginatively and inaccurately - by the 'Critters' movie series, Gremlins are probably the most annoying Gaian animal as far as electronics are concened. They were originally found only about the Whirlwind maze, but the advancements of human technology have lured many of these beasts into closer range of civilization. Despite their inquisitive nature, however, Gremlins remain elusive to most humans, and prefer to tamper with anything even vaguely electronic during the night, when most humans are asleep. Typically, the only clue to a Gremlin's involvement in mechanical vandalism would be the lingering stench of their filthy maws - hence the species name, 'halithosis'.

It is notable here that they aren't quite as foul-smelling as Marlboros are. Gremlins are much cleaner and smaller than Marlboros, so they don't actually smell that bad in comparison - try imagining an unwashed football player's armpit, and a decaying leper's corpse, and you'll get the analogy, I think. Provided of course, that you know what an analogy _is_.

Now, Gremlins have long claws that seem to be formed out of a naturally-occurring insulator material. Thus, they can happily and cheerfully tear into electronic devices without any fears of electrocution. In addition to that, Gremlins have magical abilities that allow them to generate a type of energy field that scrambles most electrical signals. Hence, this unique disruptive ability, coupled with their nocturnal habits, have led to them being blamed for any sort of electronic malfunction by mechanics and technicians.

More often than not, however, the stories are probably true - Gremlins are playful spirits by nature, and so will not hesitate to demolish anything mechanical and/or electronic that they can get their grubby little paws on.

I myself haven't managed to track down a Gremlin for examination - the buggers are that good at hiding themselves.

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Grenade (_Exploda Metallica_)

Once again, I find mysself unable to describe in detail a species that is still in existence. This time, it is the Grenade, a metal-skinned relative of the notorious Bombs that float about Corel. As with many other denizens of the Northern Crater and its surrounding regions, Grenades have so far proven themselves to be adept at not being found when it suits their purposes - if they could actually comprehend basic logic, that is (which is probably more than I could say for most of this manuscript's readers).

As such, I leave this excerpt from Ipsen's excellent text for your perusal here.

_Evolved Bombs, Grenades aren't explosive, but are much deadlier than, their flaming counterparts. Being Aerial due to the volatile gas mixtures within them, Grenades often hide between high-up stalactites, deep within the tunnels dug by mining moles, inside the bowels of the dormant volcano, Mount Gulug. They can hide rather well in the shadows, and the only sign of their presence is often the faint, reddish glow of their slitted eyes. Their metallic skin is proof to harpoons and arrows, but at the same time, is highly flexible and can tear easily. The single antenna on their head is used for inter-Grenade communication, and it was proven during Beadle and Tatum's experiment that Grenades who had their antennae severed were less efficient attackers, due to the lack in communication between themselves._

_You see, Grenades are rather militaristic in their attacking patterns. They always atatck in groups, often from above their quarry. Once the group's members are int he right positions, they will rain Firaga and Flame spells down onto the heads of the poor souls that they have surrounded. Hence, Beadle and Tatum's experiment proved that the attack and flight patterns of Grenades with removed antennae, were less efficient then those of Grenades which retained their antennae. If you encounter Grenades, you will hear a piercing whistle being emittes now-and-then as steam is vented from within their meallic bodies, through a long, pipe-like projection that dangles beneath them. This is actually their means of communication, and this was also discovered during Beadle and Tatum's experiment._

_If their Fire-elemental spells are ineffective, attacking Grenades will use their communication assemblies as a Cannon, which they will use to bombard their targets with debris. The debris is fired by using compressed steam from within their bodies, which will fire the debris as it moves along the Cannon's 'barrel'. In fact, their usage of steam pressure to fire their Cannons has inspired several inventors to try and design airship engines that run on steam instead of Mist. To date, no successful designs have been created for the steam engine._

_Being Aerial, they are proof to all forms of Earth-based magic. They also harbor a partial immunity to Fire-elemental spells, due to their high-temperature metabolism. That being said, they are greatly-weakened by Ice-elemental and Wind spells of sufficient strength. Be careful of using Blizzard spells against them, since cooling spells of insufficient strength will result in their metallic skin cracking, and this will cause a release of their volatile internal gases into the surrounding air. Unless you want a rain of exploding Grenades falling down over you, use a Blizzaga spell. This is because even though they have the same internal gas composition that bombs have, they cannot detonate instantly, due to their metallic skin. So, they'll be more likely to go BOOM! at ground level rather than in mid-air._

_Qus have, on the rare occasion, caught and eaten Grenade skin. They froze the Grenades first, and then they cut the frozen explosives open and removed the entire contents of the thing. The flavor of the skin was described as being spicy, with a hint of alcohol in it._

_Grenades should only be challenged by experienced fighters, due to their speedy movements and fatally-efficient attacks._

The only notable differences in Ipsen's account of a Grenade from present-day descriptions would be the apparent presence of an antenna on them, along with their nesting in a volcano. Mount Gulug itself is a mythical place, and has never been actually found - to date, three different volcanoes have been found that fit the description of Mount Gulug from their exteriors, but none possess the extensive subterranean cavern systems referred to in 'Beasts of Gaia'. Beadle and Tatum, however, did conduct some experimentation on Grenades by severing their antennae_, _as recorded in some of the more ancient scientific texts.

As such, more research into the nature of Grenades would be prudent._  
_

xxx

Griffin (_Aves Quadrupedus_)

Griffins are presumed to be extinct, since the last recorded sighting of one dates back to some eighty years before the publication of this manuscript. Hence, I hope you have the brains to appreciate yet another snippet of Ipsen's magnum opus.

_Well-known Aerial creatures native to the Donna Plains, and even the nearby Fossil Roo, these creatures are rather docile. They prefer to flee rather than to stay and fight, though they aren't absolute slouches at fighting. They can be domesticated, and are excellent pets as well as guard animals. They are just as good for travelling when compared to chobobos, though they move much slower due to their greater mass and tendency to run after smaller animals that catch their eye. This is why, if you're planning on riding a Griffin, you should carry adequate food supplies for yourself and the bird. It'll be a rather time-consuming journey, and also a tiresome one if your Griffin keeps flying off-course. Hedgehog Pie meat is readily accepted by most Griffins, though this is a matter of preference. Try out different meats with you Griffin, and if it nuzzles you like a dog would, you'd know what it loves to eat._

_Heck, my pet Griffin had a liking for Gysahl Pickles!_

_In terms of fighting ability, Griffins are more than competent. Despite being hollow-boned and timid, they can deal a painful Tail strike onto whoever raises their temper. Their whip-like tail can even break through skin and bones, if sufficient momentum and velocity is attained prior to the strike! Their magical abilities are of the Wind, just as they are creatures of the air. Griffins are known to cast Aero and Aera spells, which can blow a target away if they muster enough energy into casting the spell in question. They can even heal themselves and their allies, using a spell which I have named, White Wind._

_As with all other avians, they are immune to Earth-based magic, and at the same time, weaker against Wind spells. Strong-blowing gales have been proven to be capable of snapping their hollow bones, and it is not uncommon to find dead Griffins lying around with numerous broken bones, after a devastating storm, such as the one that resulted in the destruction of Madain Sari._

_Other than all that, Griffins are affectionate creatures that enjoy being in the company of others. Play with your Griffin daily, and it will be the friendliest animal on Gaia, to you. Some Griffins have been known to enjoy playing with balls, so try playing fetch one day with your pet Griffin._

_Griffins can be challenged by moderately-experienced fighters._

As a side note, Fossil Roo was only recently rediscovered, along with a large population of Gargants - truly an exciting breakthrough, given that little to nothing is known about Gargants!

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Grimguard (_Magus Defendere_)

The Temple of the Ancients is guarded by all manner of strange and stranger creatures, and the Grimguards are no exception. Proficient in various types of magical attacks, they tend to act very agrgessively towards intruders - despite their relative weakness in a fight. Physically, they are impressively suited to the task of temple guardian, though, since their right hands are actually flat, rounded appendages that resemble a living shield. In fact, the right hands of Grimguards are resilient enough to even withstand a direct hit from a Fire3 spell without any charring - truly a significant feat of biology. Literally on the other hand, their left arm is shaped like a long pike. This is used by the Grimguards to channel their magical attacks like a discharge electrode, or even as an excellent perforating weapon.

Now, Grimguards were the inspiration for the dynamo - the device and not the detergent, you idiot! - since they are electrically-adapted, and can only derive energy from their internal capacitor organs as long as they remain in a state of motion. Hell, Lucrecia and I quite literally got a nasty shock when the specimen we had trapped and tied up managed to obtain enough energy from the friction its bonds generated to break free and start attacking us from the back of our rented pickup truck (for the record, that was my first ever automobile accident). We tried to sedating the creature after that, which didn't turn out too well - the impact of the dart on its body gave it enough stored energy to overwhelm the tranquilizer, and so we ultimately had to kill it rather than risk drawing more attention to ourselves in the Temple's hostile grounds.

We ended up killing it by beating it over the head with a rock - apparently, its internal dynamo couldn't process the kinetic energy from that.

While Grimguards may utilize Ice and Bolt spells in combat, casting those spells back at them would be rather fatal to them. This is because their electrically-charged bodies can be rather easily overloaded by sustained disruption of their biological circuitry, and so using those spells against them is advisable. However, if they get their shield-arms between the attack and their bodies, the spells will be ineffective. Hence, it is best to aim for the Grimguard's pike-arm; something more easily said than done, since a Grimguard's reflexes are literally as quick as lightning. If you manage to strike their pike-arms, though, their own spells might backfire on them, which could easily kill them (we actually killed three of them with one Bolt spell, by attacking when they raised their arms to cast spells at us - they became like lightning rods for our own spells).

Thankfully, their stamina leaves much to be desired, since they apparently cannot store charge for prolonged periods of time. So you could actually just let them exhaust themselves into being immobile, before beating them over the head with a large rock. Yes, sometimes the simplest solutions are the best, you dickhead.

Even amateur fighters could handle a Grimguard, if they had even an ounce of common sense and the knowledge to back it up.

* * *

**H**

Hard Attacker (_Quillianita Oleum_)

Distant relatives of the Hedgehog Pie, Hard Attackers seem to bear some surprising resemblances to gastropods despite their mammalian nature. Known to inhabit parts of Gaia's ocean which are infamous for their dangerous coral reefs and rock formations, these considerably bizarre creatures have only rarely been sighted out on the open ocean. Before more specimens were caught and subsequently dissected, it was thought that Hard Attackers were a deadlier breed of puffer fish, but further investigations have disproved that theory. You see, they possess actual, septate hearts with more than just two chambers, and lack gills - definitely not a fish, in case that wasn't obvious enough for all you members of the moron orchestra.

So, the apparent reason why they inhabit the more treacherous stretches of ocean has to do with their method of locomotion. You see, Hard Attackers do not swim that well, and prefer to remain exposed to air rather than being submerged. Hence, their bodies actually contain copious amounts of organic oils that make them about as buoyant as Palmer of the ShinRa Space Exploration department. If you were wondering just why this is so, kindly go and exorcise your demons of stupidity by reading up on simple density. It should therefore be clear that the reefs and rocks about their nests serve a protective function for them, to prevent them from being swept away by the tides.

If confronted, a Hard Attacker may actually inhale gallons of air before releasing it through its posterior respiratory openings, thus allowing it to propel itself forward like a missile. Given that its skin is covered in numerous spines and sharp fins, a charging Hard Attacker could do some considerable damage if it hit something as soft and destructible as a human being. Also, they can discharge large volumes of black oil to blind an attacker, which gives them plenty of time to escape - the oil may rise to the ocean's surface, but it is nonetheless sticky enough to trap anything stupid enough to get doused in it.

Some of the other interesting biochemical interactions of Hard Attacker oils include severe toxicity and spontaneous heating. Here, it should be noted that Hard Attackers can actually manipulate the chemistry of their oils to produce poisonous discharges, or even stimulate combustion of the oils within their bodies to render themselves steaming hot. As a matter of fact, a heated Hard Attacker could easily cause the very sea water around it to begin boiling - no mean feat, given the colligative properties of water (dig out a chemistry textbook, you useless bums).

Historically, sailors used to send longboats of seafarers to agitate Hard Attackers whenever they ran short on oil for their ships' lamps. The oil was noted to be slightly less flammable than whale's oil, but much longer lasting once it started burning. Moreover, they observed that if small amounts of seawater were mixed in with it, it produced a soft green glow instead of the usual yellow flame. Hence, Hard Attacker oil became known as a useful commodity to be had in a pinch, since the green glow produced was somehow rather effective at revealing the glowing patterns on a Diver Nest's back. However, despite this useful trait, getting to the Hard Attackers proved to be too tedious to make it commonplace among seafarers.

Few people have bothered to challenge Hard Attackers, due to the difficulty of approaching them within their natural habitat.

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Harpy (_Pixie Toxicohydrus_)

I'm quite sure that most of the world's women have been branded as harpies at some point or another - it's simply one of those facts of life. However, the true _harpy_ that I shall be discussing here is species of venomous humanoids that are found around the Gold Saucer. Ever since that casino was built, they have become notorious for ambushing and killing gamblers who try to flee through the wild areas around the Gold Saucer's base. In fact, some have speculated that Dio - last name unknown - deliberately built his casino there to avoid customers running away once they got into the webs that his resident loansharks wove.

Now, Harpies are actually highly magical beings that are theorized to depend on draining the life energy out of their victims to sustain themselves. Even though they actually poison their victims to actually kill them, it was observed that none of the Harpy victims actually seemed to have anything changed about their bodies, save for the large concentrations of toxins in their bloodstreams. In addition to that, Harpies tend to press their hands to their victims' foreheads before said victims drop dead, which gives more support to the theory of them being energy-draining organisms.

However, the interesting part about the Harpy victims is that their brains, when dissected, seem to show signs of accelerated nerve degeneration. In fact, the damage caused to their brains by a combination of the Harpy's venom and magic seems to be startlingly similar to that which is observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease. So there are some scientists out there who have suggested that Harpies feed on memories rather than life energy, and no one really tries to shoot their ideas down. Indeed, the only proof that keeps the life energy theory above the memory theory is circumstantial at best, and so from my personal point of view, both theories have their merits until proven otherwise.

The one frustrating thing about Harpies, though, is their sheer elusive natures. Little is known about them save for what can be deduced from cadavers, and from faraway glances of several Aqua Lung spells. They also seem to use some sort of attack that utilizes a cloud of greenish gas, but we can only assume that the cloud is poisonous, or even gaseous to begin with!

Alas, few have survived encounters with Harpies - too few to make anything significant of in this entry, I'm afraid.

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Head Bomber (_Aves Bombardius_)

These violent pigeons are native to Gaea's Cliff, and have been the bane of the Cliff's human residents for many a decade. Surprisingly colorful for their frozen habitats, Head Bombers are probably known best as the inspiration for that annoying video game, Angry Birds. In fact, the angry birds in the game actually do bear a resemblance to the Head Bombers, especially the yellow ones. As a matter of fact, the game's very mechanics were derived from the means by which these oversized avians attack.

You see, agitated Head Bombers tend to jump high in the air before dive-bombing the opposition using their heads, and so the game of Angry Birds was designed around this premise. Apparently, the game involves pigs stealing some birds' eggs - for whatever reason - followed by the birds going campus on them. So yes, a description of that infernal video game was actually helpful for my purposes. Another rather nasty tactic of the Head Bombers involves them bashing a target's head in using their powerful claws - however, they are rarely seen using this, seemingly in favor of jumping on their target(s).

Now, Head Bomber eggs are large and white, with yellowish specks on them. If unfertilized, the yolk is a pale cream color, whereas in fertilized eggs it is orange. Usually, a nest would contain three to four eggs, all covered in snow - not to kepe them cold, but to keep them warm. This is similar in principle to the building of igloos, where hard-packed snow is used to trap warm air for humans to inhabit them. If you couldn't connect the dots, though... I have nothing more to say to you, you waste of space. So, these cartoonish creatures are seldom found far from their nests, barring of course when they go for food runs on human habitations (in the case of Gaea's Cliff, that's the same village, month after month).

Stupid birds, they are, really. How they developed the ability and knowledge to use snow as such baffles many experts in the field, yours truly included.

Surprisingly nimble despite their bellicose appearance, Head Bombers also seem to be strong enough to cleave ice blocks into pieces using their bare claws (wings?). This makes them quite nasty in a fight, usually since most other creatures are slowed down by the cold environment where they live. Also, their feathers seem very capable of retaining heat. In addition to that, Head Bombers also seem to have the unique ability to leap over snow rapidly, making it near impossible for them to get bogged down in it. Thus, it could bbe said that anatomically and physiologically, Head Bombers are adapted incredibly well to their native environment.

Frozen Nails seem to be their natural predators, though, and Head Bombers generally avoid going near large crevasses for fear of being ambushed by those ice-adapted arthropods. Ironic, given that it's basically a case of the bird fearing the bug, but as with many other things in this ridiculous world, it is indeed the way things are. The reason for this was suggested to be their rather poor eyesight - Frozen Nails are already hard to see in the snow and ice, what more if coupled with the Head Bombers' absymal visual acuity.

Despite their annoying tendency to gather and ogle at villagers going about their daily lives, Head Bombers also seem to enjoy stealing things from th village up on the Cliff, and even ordinary housewifes are usually capable of scaring them off on a daily basis (literally chicken-hearted, it seems).

xxx

Head Hunter (_Oligochaeta Pancung_)

If you've ever heard of myths involving brain-stealing aliens or something else along those lines, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better living match than the Head Hunter. Resembling a long, dark green worm with a swollen head and two trailing mandibles, Head Hunters are among the most disturbing creatures one could come across in the wilderness surrounding Mideel. We shall explore the reasons behind this statement of mine, although I shall not go into detail on the precise mechanisms - I don't expect you nitwits to appreciate the elegance of them.

So, Head Hunters are not named as such without good reason. You see, they seem to have a fondness for quite literally eating brains, and so there's little doubt as to which body part they'd go for when attacking other animals. If you still couldn't get the point based on that sentence, then I am truly sorry for your stupidity - kindly go to the ShinRa medical services and get yourself neutered. That way your poisonously stupid genes won't get passed on to further pollute and desecrate this long-suffering planet.

With regards to their anatomical adaptations to their preferred food, Head Hunters are admirably well-equipped. Their mouths are practically like living vacuum seals, and their mandibles are strong enough to punch holes in the sides of most skulls that can fit into their mouths. Typically, they will dish out a blow to the victim's head, and then latch on to start sucking. Blaise Pascal, that legendary god of a scientist, once proved that the suction of a Head Hunter's maw was more than capable of popping open a beachplug's shell, and that in itself is no mean feat - beachplug shells are practically impenetrable if not subjected to high heat for some time.

Besides their physical capabilities in sucking face - they do prefer to use a frontal assault, since they can suck hard enough to drain your brain out through your eye sockets - Head Hunters also secrete powerful digestive enzymes that can easily dissolve skin, bone, and anything else in between. However, they rarely utilize these potent chemicals, preferring to use some good ol' fashioned suction to aspirate some tasty neural tissue. In fact, these enzymes are so potent that several times in the past, medical professionals have actually sought them out to be used in stripping flesh from bone to prepare skeletons for study. The preparations used, though, were all heavily diluted, to the point whereby the enzyme concentrations were measurable only in microliters.

The only curious thing about Head Hunters, though, is their unnerving ability to acquire bits of memories from any ingested brains. They can even regurtitate bits of memory, by making tortured-sounding vocalizations - lacking proper vocal cords makes even slurring through sentences a great achievement for them. Some Head Hunters have even been observed twisting their bodies into shapes similar to numbers and alphabets, though little repetition was noted. Thus, when the rather lovable writer Roald Dahl wrote his yummy children's book 'Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator', the scientific community almost unanimously agreed that the Vermicious Knids protrayed in the book could have been inspired by the Head Hunters (well, all they could spell was 'SCRAM', but the Head Hunters probably aren't too far behind them).

It should be clear now why I said earlier that Head Hunters are disturbing to encounter for yourself - their slurring speech is somehow rather eerie, if you were to hear it up close. Sometimes, in the night, if they manage to sneak up behind you, the creepy effect is even more pronounced.

Due to their considerable physical bulk and strength, only experienced fighters should challenge Head Hunters and be capable of hoping to survive.

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Heavy Tank (_Triceratops Torsiolocomortis_)

The last living remnants of an ancient class of organisms known as dinosaurs, Heavy Tanks are exceedingly rare beasts that lurk around the ruins of the Gongaga Mako reactor. In fact, the reason why the reactor is in ruins is attributed to them - when the reactor was built, it involved some trespassing into their habitat, and so the enraged dinosaurs decided to swarm the reactor once all the noisy construction equipment had been removed from the scene. As a side note here, it should now be glaringly obvious that the Shinra Electric Company seems hopeless inept at conducting environmental impact surveys before they actually build anything - first the underwater reactor, and then the Gongaga reactor. Those idiots seem to lack any common sense, really.

I referred to Heavy Tanks as dinosaurs, and not animals. In case you actually had enough brain power to compute the significance of that statement, I shall supply you with some delightful information right here. You see, it was proposed that the existing taxonomic classification categories be augmented by a new kingdom; that which is to be known as Dinosauria. This is simply because most of the dinosaur fossils found seem to have impressions in the stone around them, suggesting that they were feathered creatures. Hence, based on anatomical reasons alone, dinosaurs seem to straddle the boundaries between being reptile and avian in nature. For the sake of my sanity and faith in humanity, though, I shall not elaborate further on this - hug your brachiosaurus plushies and sleep tight in your ignorance.

Now, Heavy Tanks are incredible in the sense that they inspired the creation of the wheel. This may sound absurd, but their legs are actually highly-adapted locomotive appendages that lack any form of proper joints. Thus, these amazing limbs can rotate in perfect circles, and the 'treads' which gave the species their name are actually thick webs of skin that grow out from between their leg claws. So a Heavy Tank is perfectly capable of moving forward like an armored tank would, complete with moving treads and all.

Lucrecia and I did manage to track one down during the course of our research, and we really were impressed by its combative abilities. Shockingly fast for something that moves as it did, the Heavy Tank very nearly managed to run us over. When we narrowly avoided being made into human pancakes, it somehow demonstrated a nearly perfect U-turn, and almost nailed us for the second time in ten seconds. Truly impressive, despite the fact that we managed to kill it in the end and dissect it!

In fact, Heavy Tanks make the long-extinct triceratops (Triceratops serratus) look positively mundane in comprarison. The fossil record shows that its dead cousins were rather similar to other existing creatures in terms of locomotion, and so there's nothing much that can be deemed as exciting with regards to them. The three horns and heavy neck frill are the only shared physical traits between the two species, it seems.

Unless you're both experienced at fighting and tracking, don't bother going after a Heavy Tank - you might end up lost or giving the poor dear indigestion.

xxx

Hedgehog Pie (_Quillianita Asper_)

Once again, I find myself referring to Ipsen Ornitier's manuscript for a description of a particular species. Here, the species is none other than the horribly putrid-smelling Hedgehog Pie (heaven knows why they're named as such, since they neither resemble hedgehogs nor pies). However, they are nonetheless among the most well-studied of the Gaian species, since they reproduce rapidly and in significantly large numbers. With their rather uncanny resemblance to President ShinRa in his red suit, Hedgehog Pies are notorious for stealing food from farmers and ranchers all over Gaia.

However, as with many other entries in 'Beasts of Gaia', the Hedgehog Pies were listed as being inhabitants of an apparently nonexistent location. Given that these pests have pretty much proliferated to live on almost all parts of Gaia - though their rarity varies - we can't even make an educated guess with regards to their original habitat. Perhaps one day a map of ancient Gaia would be unearthed, but until then, places such as the Eunoras Plains shall remain a mystery to us.

And now, feast your blasphemously ignorant eyes on this rather amusing entry.

_Stinking beasts native to the Eunoras plains, Hedgehog Pies are plump little monsters that often harass travelers. They often attack in groups of two, and this could be a minor annoyance at worst. Since these creatures are such weaklings, they can be easily dealt with, and the only thing I'd have to warn you about when it comes to them, it the foul smell that they release when they are killed. It smells like a mixture of cat shit, stale urine, and sweaty armpits, and I'm sure any sane person would want to put several dozen feet between said odor and themselves as soon as possible._

_Biologists theorize that Hedgehog Pies evolved this odor as a method to deter predators, such as the Serpions which also inhabit the Eunoras Plains where they live. After all, no one would like to taste that shitty smell, would they?_

_Hedgehog Pies are ferocious when it comes to attacking, and they have only three known attacks. Mainly, they will Ram you, and use every ounce of their fat little bodies in a Fat Press attack to try and incapacitate or stun you. I can assure you, the experience of being smothered by one of these putrid... things... is highly disgusting at the very least. It will take several days for the smell to wash off, too!_

_Their third attack is Pumpkin Head, whereby a cursed pumpkin is conjured and used to hit an enemy for the same amount of damage that the casting Hedgheog Pie has taken. In fact, the tradition of carving Halloween pumpkins was derived from this spell, for reasons that have been forgotten with time. So, kill the bloody Pie fast before it tries to give you a taste of your own medicine, pumpkin-flavored, of course._

_Rookie fighters should be able to dispatch these stinkers to the underworld with utter ease._

I myself have never seen a Hedgehog Pie using this 'Pumpkin Head' move, though. Recent studies on the species have also yielded nothing on the subject, so maybe the ability to use it died out several generations ago._  
_

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Heg (_Naja Sjambok_)

If there's a species that almost anyone on Gaia can identify, it would most definitely be the cobra. Being a rare subspecies of cobra themselves, Hegs are distinct among snakes due to the ability to flatten their necks as a kind of threat display. Few have actually seen Hegs in person, since they are found only in the network of caves extending into the bedrock of Cosmo Canyon, and so little is known about them, at least to the general populace. However, Lucrecia and I managed to sneak into the caverns during our visit to the canyon, and obtained some truly valuable insights into this impressive species of snake.

While the king cobra is often referred to as the largest venomous snake on Gaia, Hegs are a close competitor for the title. This is because the average Heg seems to be about twenty feet long, but alas, no consistent measurements on a large sample size could be carried out due to those anal retentive goons at Cosmo Canyon. Hence, the Hegs will have to settle for second place, since the king cobras have been much easier to locate and study.

With regards to their abilities in a fight, I would say that Hegs are rather penis-like. That is to say, their length and secretions give them some potential to be rather damaging. A Heg has rather potent venom, but its true combat strength lies in its body musculature, you see. Out of the twenty feet that makes up its length, a Heg could easily use up to eight feet of it like a whip, to be cracked at the opposition. They may attack as described using either end of their body, and the whipping assault of a Heg would obviously be deadlier if the head is the attacking end.

When we were tracking a few Hegs, Lucrecia accidentally kicked a pebble, causing one of them to turn back and investigate. When the reptile saw us, it immediately sprung, and fortunately missed me (though it missed her too, alas). However, the sheer speed behind its whipping motion managed to leave a clean furrow in the sandy ground up to three feet away from where its fangs had landed in the dirt, and so we quickly got the hell out of there. If the Heg could literally crack itself like a whip to such speed that even ground which it hadn't touched could be affected, we seriously didn't want to find out just what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a Heg whipping.

So when we got back to civiliazation, we searched for a species name, and finally settled on 'sjambok'. Apparently, some African tribes once referred to their whips as sjamboks, and so the name seemed fitting for the species based on its attack speed. If only it had managed to hit Lucrecia, I probably would've given it a nicer name, but I guess we can't all get everything that's lovely and nice.

No one in their right mind would challenge them, since Hegs are too damned fast to actually fight with.

xxx

Hell House (_Domicilia Jibakurei_)

Another species of monster which is used to illustrated the concept of a Jibakurei (refer to the Deenglow entry, you morons!), Hell Houses are literally walking houses that can be rather dangerous to the average idiot Gaian living below Midgar's plate. Well, they so sometimes float, but mainly they will stick to slowly dragging themselves along the ground. Since it is impossible to capture a Hell House, we have no idea why they do this, and even logic fails us here - after all, it's a fucking _house_ monster we're talking about here. How logical can that get?

The Hell Houses only appeared several years after Midgar was built, and so close to nothing is known about them. What is known about them is that they can apparently manipulate electricity and gravity with great proficiency, and that they use discarded construction materials to form their bodies. However, they seem to prefer using metals to form their bodies - electricity can induce magnetism, in case you imbeciles forgot that one basic principle of physics - since the electricity that flows through the metals can also serve as a powerful weapon in their hands. Much like the 2-Faces, a simple indicator of them using gravity in place of electromagnetism would be sand rising off the ground as the Hell House moved. Well, the fact that gravity-manipulating Hell Houses would float is another obvious point, but sometimes the obvious... is not so obvious, is it now?

When they attack, Hell Houses seem to be fond of engulfing their prey in the debris that they use to contain their essence. This is because they can then literally bring the house down around said creature's ears, which clearly would be fatal. After all, several hundred pounds of debris collapsing in on you wouldn't be conducive to living, I'm sure. Both variants of the Hell House are capable of this, though the ones utilizing electromagnetism would be more inclined to firing pieces of metal at you as opposed to immediately going for the Suicide Drop, as their engulfing attack is often referred to.

Interestingly enough, Ipsen does describe a similar creature in his book, which he calls an Armstrong.

The first Armstrong was formed from the 'spirit' of an old market that were burnt down. During the fire, several tramps and animals living there died, their numerous essences somehow joining to form this puzzling cross of monster-and-house. Hence, an Armstrong is immune to most forms of magic, since it is after all, a composite of several souls.

_Armstrongs are hardy beasts, that possess the ability to fire cannon-shot at victims from a large cannon mounted as their 'nose'. These cannon shots can break bones and also smash through most barriers, so be careful when confronting an Armstrong head-on._

_Armstrongs are also adept at magic, and usually cast Thundara and Berserk spells to incapacitate victims. They will then consume the victim, using their many needle-like legs to absorb all fluid from the victim's body._

_They, despite having a multitude of legs, walk rather unsteadily. If an Armstrong needs to be crippled, go for the legs. Cutting Wind spells can sever most of an Armstrong's legs, and leave it sitting immobile. When desperate, an Armstrong will cast Matra Magic, in an attempt to weaken an enemy long enough for it to flee or deal the killing blow(s)._

_Armstrongs are native to the Forgotten Continent, and roam the vast wastelands there. They often linger close to swampy areas, and can be consistently found near watering holes._

_These bizzare beasts should be challenged by experienced fighters at the very least._

Despite the differences in the Armstrongs (?) and Hell Houses, it is nonetheless fascinating to see that a similar creature has been observed before, even if the account of the encounters are somewhat dubious._  
_

In a fight, Hell Houses are rather weak, though, as Lucrecia and I discovered during our studies of Gaian zoology. So even rooki fighters could easily challenge them and win, I guess - and my guesses are usually right.

xxx

Hippogriff (_Aves Quadrupedus Equinae_)

Now, this creature is more cryptid than animal, but has nonetheless earned itself an entry in my manuscript. You see, the sightings of Hippogriffs have been reported by very reputable scientists over the course of several centuries, I shall just note here that their very existence is still something to be proven, and that they apparently bear a great similarity to the Griffins.

xxx

Hungry (_Bufo Oricolossus_)

One of the more bizarre studies into the nature of hibernation involved toads being buried alive in blocks of plaster, and the Hungry are almost equally as strange. Large, omnivorous toads that look very much like oversized snowballs when they remain still - which is most of the time - Hungry are found only in the Frostbite Caves. As a matter of fact, they were only discovered somewhere about three years ago, when some advanced scanning equipment was brought up there to check for something else to do with the Northern Crater (it's all classified material, so fuck off).

I mentioned earlier that Frozen Nails were well-adapted to their environments. Well, if those creatures are well adapted, then the Hungry are _perfectly_ adapted. Hungry are so well-adapted to their habitat that even a full-blast Fire3 spell can't melt their skins in the natural element, but will rapidly melt into a tepid puddle once you force them into a warmer location. You see, the magical field about them defends them from the magical effects of any opposing elements, whereas purely climate-induced damage would be especially effective against them.

A Hungry is also rather aptly named, despite the asinine nature of said label (although nothing is quite as asinine as Frosty the snowman, for the record). However, no one has really tried to approach them, since their mouths are easily five feet across, and their habitat cold enough to induce frostbite if you were to spend longer than an hour in there. Truly, the Frostbite Caves seem to be unnaturally cold in comparison to the surrounding areas, and so some prominent cold-climate explorers have theorized that there is some kind of natural force that watches over the cave; most of these explorers disappeared after trying to unravel the mysteries of the Frostbite Caves.

The only Hungry ever killed by humans was actually melted when it chased them almost all the way down the mountain, and so nothing much can be said about their combative abilities. Hell, even Professor Gast, that lazy old bastard, refused to let me go after them for research purposes.


End file.
